Hegseth bans DoD personnel from using nonpublic info to bet on U.S. military ope

[Oshosondy]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations. No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-betting-ban-military-operations/

[DanWalker]

It is truly alarming to consider that those entrusted with responsibility for national security and lives of soldiers, if they were to misuse classified information by placing bet and making prediction, would put national security in grave jeopardy.

In my view, this kind of insider trading and placing bet based on confidential information is not merely unethical. This is tantamount to outright treason.

Intelligence agent from hostile nation are always on lookout for such opportunity, ways to track data regarding defense movement and operation of another country.

[yhiaali3]

This decision is perfectly sound. It is neither logical nor ethical for Department of Defense employees to use non-public information to speculate on U.S. military operations, as this could indeed put military operations at great risk.

Of course, it is not only in the United States that such practices can jeopardize national security for the sake of betting and winning a few dollars; this is one of the reasons why prediction markets are prohibited in many countries.

[Taskford]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations. No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-betting-ban-military-operations/

Well that's good because if the Defense Secretary won't do that. Maybe those defense personnel have access to critical information's. Might going to leak an important information, due to their gambling activities.

They should impose heavy penalties to their personnel insist and still try to bet, to make sure that there's no officers or official will sneak and place a bet base on the information they know.

Truly risky for them to engage with this matter, this is also the dangerous side of the existence of prediction market.

[free-bit.co.in]

I fully support this firm move by Pete Hegseth, as well as his threat of severe punishment under Uniform Code of Military Justice, for those who violate it. However question remain, why were these loophole left open for so long and why weren't stricter control implemented in system much earlier?

You know, betting culture surrounding us has become so all pervasive that people do not even hesitate to place bet on war or lives of nation's soldier! However, I do not believe that such prohibition will be able to completely put any end to these kind of misdeed in future. Perhaps stricter surveillance is needed from every country.

[BALIK]

Actually there is no point in blaming prediction market here. Real problem is mindset of making profit by using confidential information. Another issue is continued engagement of such platform in providing service related to military operation and sensitive military movement.

Predicting general political event using public information and open data is one thing but gambling on timeline of covert military operation is something else entirely. This two can never be the same.
The first one helps in understanding general market trend and public opinion. As for second point, such kind of gamble would directly put their national security and live of their soldier at risk. So, imo issue here lies in misuse of prediction market. Furthermore, such platform themself have inadequate rules.

[Russlenat]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations.

Just a ban? I think they should put the guy in jail for compromising national security. That's very sensitive information that should never be used for betting. With all these past reports about manipulation and insider information, I think the US needs a massive overhaul of its prediction market regulations.

[rbynxx]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations. No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

If it is really regarding national security and something that threatens a sovereignty or any individuals, I think these prediction markets should be ethical not to do so as well as those personnels. It's not about you can bet on anything but there should be limitations. Well, I think they just find it out recently and a warning is good but should have been done a long time ago.

[danherbias07]

First off, why do they let those prediction markets have lines about US military operations? They should instantly ban those lines because they're not just prone to manipulation, but they also encourage those who know about it to try to place their bets. It should not even exist in the first place. Those prediction markets started it.

Thankfully, it's just a ban of using it for the personnel and not being fired on their work or other types of punishment. But I bet there will be more, but it won't be told to the public. This is a serious matter and should not be neglected.

[swogerino]

First time he is right about something considering most of the time he is drunk and taken the military of US from being the greatest in the world to now being the laughing stock of the world after their disastrous failure against Iran. He is right about what he is prohibiting now yet because of his actions the bill is now being paid by all American people in gas stations and grocery stores. It is only getting worse the inflation for Americans so this November we will see if things will change or not. By the way DoD is not anymore, now is named by the stupid Trump administration Department of War.

[Hewlet]

No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

No personnel that has access to classified information should be allowed to gambling on niche that are related to his area of operation and i completely agree with that. trying to profit from the access you have as a reason of you being in the military is same as a player engaging in sports betting and trying to manipulate the game to suit what he has bet on.

The conversion on what is allowed to be predicted on the predictive market is a serious one because matters bothering on security should normally be out of the equation. what's the goal of allowing it in the first place because it suggest a direct vulnerability to a nations security.

[Fiatless]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations. No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-betting-ban-military-operations/

Some of them have already made a fortune from insider betting. There have been accusations that top officials within the Trump administration are taking advantage of classified and unclassified information to make gains. Yet only one low-ranking officer was held responsible for this crime. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the right decision since the enemies of the US could use the predictive data to speculate about military decisions. It is also good that people who have been benefiting from these loopholes will no longer take advantage of them.

[bastisisca]

I fully support this firm move by Pete Hegseth, as well as his threat of severe punishment under Uniform Code of Military Justice, for those who violate it. However question remain, why were these loophole left open for so long and why weren't stricter control implemented in system much earlier?

You know, betting culture surrounding us has become so all pervasive that people do not even hesitate to place bet on war or lives of nation's soldier! However, I do not believe that such prohibition will be able to completely put any end to these kind of misdeed in future. Perhaps stricter surveillance is needed from every country.

I also support it because by now they were really making themselves ridiculous, I mean you can't let very important information such as that relating to armed conflicts or special operations escape.
Regardless of whether we agree with US operations or not, that's another matter, a country that discards its own secret information to make bets is truly a meme.

[xenomorfo]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations. No United States military personnel will be allowed to use nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations saying that financial transactions on prediction markets could expose sensitive military movements to foreign adversaries and endanger American troops.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-betting-ban-military-operations/

As much as these Nazis annoy me, in fact i practically hate them, this is the right thing.
You can't mix war with betting, but where are we? Not even in the worst dystopian films had anything like this been seen.

Of course it comes late, after they have made the money, now no one can...

[Cointxz]

In short Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned Defense Department personnel from using nonpublic information to bet on United States military operations.

Just a ban? I think they should put the guy in jail for compromising national security. That's very sensitive information that should never be used for betting. With all these past reports about manipulation and insider information, I think the US needs a massive overhaul of its prediction market regulations.

The ban is actually the first step to punish someone that abusing this information for betting. That’s how the legal processing established first since this betting market is just recently introduced so the law is still not adjusted.

Violators will face administrative or criminal charges depending on the gravity of the violation.

They should do this the first time those questionable bet regarding US operation on Venezuela happened.

[Ruttoshi]

Just because of money some personnel might not know that they are giving out a concrete information out to their enemies. I support the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for understanding how risky it has been when military personnel do use insider information to manipulate the Polymarket and put an end to it.

My question is that, will this be able to stop all military personnel from using nonpublic information to manipulate the market because they can still leak this nonpublic information to their friend for them to place the bet and share the profit.

[Ashawowo(OS)]

I do not believe that such prohibition will be able to completely put any end to these kind of misdeed in future. Perhaps stricter surveillance is needed from every country.

The prohibition might not see the culprits from withdrawing completely, rather attempting to play smarter cause greed knows no bounds, but the decree has been made and they would be on the lookout to sniff out perpetrators and set an example with few people so that the others would take caution and refrain from those dangerous acts.

It is wrong to use classified information for betting on events that can endanger lives. A better control would be not to include anything concerning US military in the prediction markets, as long as it still exists soldiers are bound to exploit such opportunities.

[Charles-Tim]

My question is that, will this be able to stop all military personnel from using nonpublic information to manipulate the market because they can still leak this nonpublic information to their friend for them to place the bet and share the profit.

I still think some of them can be very greedy and go for it.

The law is coming late. Since when Polymarket and other prediction markets have been common with that kind of bets, Hegseth supposed to have given the law when there are options that is related to war there.

Although, it is better than not having the law at all.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

My question is that, will this be able to stop all military personnel from using nonpublic information to manipulate the market because they can still leak this nonpublic information to their friend for them to place the bet and share the profit.

The law is coming late. Since when Polymarket and other prediction markets have been common with that kind of bets, Hegseth supposed to have given the law when there are options that is related to war there.

I read the article in the OP and I found the information which I put in quote below. It made me wonder why they never place this ban on DoD staffs since they already suspected that the department personnels were using non public information to gamble.

Federal investigators believe U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke made bets of more than $33,000 on the prediction market Polymarket within hours of President Trump's announcement in January that Maduro had been captured. The bets resulted in winnings of more than $409,000.

Now, there are two way to this thing based on my opinion. Firstly option, it's either they ban military personnel from betting, second option is that they should stop prediction market from listing activities related to the military which as they claim could release sensitive information to foreigners. If non of those option is considered, then some personnels will still continue to use non public information for trading or gambling, they can sell out the information to civilians.

[acroman08]

It's common sense. I mean, it's a security risk if DoD personnel use US military classified information to place bets on prediction markets.

Just a ban? I think they should put the guy in jail for compromising national security. That's very sensitive information that should never be used for betting. With all these past reports about manipulation and insider information, I think the US needs a massive overhaul of its prediction market regulations.

It just means the DoD personnel are prohibited from using nonpublic information to bet on a US military operation. They could still get jailed if they are caught using classified information to place bets on a US military operation. If I remember correctly, someone got arrested for placing a bet on a US military operation, and if I remember correctly, the guy was personally involved in that operation.