Vindman’s Effort Follows the Arrest of a U.S. Special Operations Soldier Charged with Using Classified Information to Place Bets on Polymarket
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) today led 15 Members of Congress in sending a bipartisan letter to Secretary Pete Hegseth urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to issue a general order prohibiting military personnel from using prediction markets to bet on national security-related events.
The request follows the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charging an active-duty Special Operations soldier with using classified information tied to the raid that captured Nicolás Maduro to place bets on Polymarket, profiting more than $400,000.
Prediction market contracts have increasingly tracked sensitive military developments, including active bets tied to operations near Kharg Island and past contracts related to the rescue of downed U.S. pilots.
Platforms like Polymarket allow users to wager on geopolitical and military outcomes, raising serious legal and ethical concerns when insiders may have access to classified, nonpublic information. These activities risk operational security, undermine mission integrity, and open the door to exploitation by those with privileged information.
In the letter, the lawmakers call on Secretary Hegseth to issue a department-wide order or regulation banning such activity and urge clear guardrails for those entrusted with access to sensitive national security information. It also asks that service members who violate this order be held accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
In addition to Vindman, the letter is signed by U.S. Representatives Troy Downing (R-Mont.-02), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.-18), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.-06), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.-17), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.-01), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.-02), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.-01), George Whitesides (D-Calif.-27), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.-02), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), and Herb Conaway (D-N.J.-03).
Full text of the letter can be found below, and a copy of the letter with the appendix and signatures can be found here.
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Secretary Hegseth,
On April 23, 2026, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged an active duty, special operations U.S. Army soldier with using classified information to place bets on the prediction market Polymarket. DOJ alleges the soldier, who participated in the raid that captured Nicolas Maduro, wagered on both the timing and outcome of the operation and profited over $400,000 on those bets. If these allegations are proven true, this conduct is a profound betrayal of the soldier’s oath and an outrageous breach of the trust placed in those to uphold our national security, to guard our nation’s most sensitive secrets, and an unconscionable affront to his fellow soldiers.
We are certain you have seen additional reporting explaining the troubling and illegal use of prediction markets to profit on other bets regarding U.S. military action in places like Iran and Venezuela. Despite assurances from the prediction market industry that they do not issue contracts related to terrorism, assassination, and war, federally registered exchanges continue to post contracts on American military operations. For example, as of April 24, 2026, there were active bets on Polymarket about whether or when U.S. forces would wrest control of Kharg Island (see appendix A). Before DoD rescued the pilots shot down over Iran, there was a bet about whether DoD would successfully rescue those pilots (see appendix B).
Without question, these contracts, along with the numerous offerings like them attached in Appendix below, threaten our national security (see appendix C). The pattern of likely government insiders or military personnel using classified, military information to place bets on these contacts risks the lives of our servicemembers and compromises operations. Indeed, the perverse incentives inherent in conflict-related contracts could prompt leaders to prioritize personal profit over mission success. Further, such bets, especially in the hours proceeding a military action, can alert our adversaries of American intent and risk servicemember lives and the mission. Given the pattern of bets placed close to such actions, whether in Venezuela or Iran, it is highly likely that individuals charged with keeping our country safe have chosen personal profit rather than upholding their oaths to the Nation. This is immoral, unethical, illegal, and corrosive to good order and discipline.
We urge you to issue a general order or regulation to prohibit all military and civilian personnel from utilizing prediction markets to place bets on any national security related topic. Our intent is not to ban prediction markets. However, contracts that implicate U.S. national security should remain out of bounds. To the extent that any individual, from a private to a general, violates this order, they should be held accountable in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
We appreciate your attention to this urgent national security issue and look forward to your response.
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