White House tells employees not to bet on world events, and says thinking this implies they do is irresponsible

[muriel_volestrangler]

White House staff were warned last month not to use insider information to place bets on predictions markets.

The email was sent to staff on 24 March, a day after US President Donald Trump announced a five-day pause on his threat to attack Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

It referred to press reports that raised concerns over government officials using non-public information to place bets on platforms like Kalshi or Polymarket.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the BBC that "any implication that Administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgld65x396go

White House Warns Staff Not to Place Bets on Prediction Markets Amid Iran War

The day after President Trump announced a sudden pause of strikes against Iran last month, the White House warned staff against improperly leveraging their positions to place well-timed bets in futures markets.

The warning came in a staff-wide email from the White House Management Office on March 24, according to people familiar with the matter. The day before, Trump had announced the pause via Truth Social. About 15 minutes before the sudden shift in policy, a mysterious flurry of activity kicked off in the futures markets.
...
“President Trump has been crystal clear,” Ingle said, “while he seeks a strong and profitable stock market for everyone, members of Congress and other government officials should be prohibited from using nonpublic information for financial benefit.” He said that the prohibition against insider trading wasn’t out of the ordinary and rejected as “baseless and irresponsible reporting” any suggestion that anyone inside the administration was using their position to profit at public expense.

Unusual winning bets are already capturing the attention of the public and inspiring outrage, even among supporters of the president.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/white-house-warns-staff-not-to-place-bets-on-prediction-markets-amid-iran-war-3780668f?st=WEkQas

Seth Moulton comments:
"The problem isn't the interns; it’s the First Family. While @realDonaldTrump orders military action and weighs ceasefire negotiations, @DonaldJTrumpJr is advising @Polymarket. This is the most corrupt administration in American history, treating the sacrifice of our service members like a rigged game of roulette.

And let's not forget: Polymarket only took down the market allowing users to place bets on the rescue of our Air Force pilots AFTER we called them out. Right now, there are 271 open markets under "Iran" and 218 under "war." We need to shut down these death markets, once and for all."

Link to tweet

[Norrrm]

1. If you place your bet in the right way, it's approved.