This ban and the proposed Public Service Accountability Act only target senior government officials, lawmakers, judges, and their immediate staff/families. For regular citizens, trading on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket remains legal under federal regulations, though individual state laws vary on whether election betting is permitted. The crackdown is strictly focused on preventing government insiders from profiting off classified or non-public information.

While both involve using secret information for financial gain, prediction markets allow people to wager directly on real-world events rather than corporate performance.
The Stock Market: An insider might buy stock because they know a company is about to merge.
Prediction Markets: A government insider could bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on highly specific political or military outcomes—such as whether a ceasefire will be signed, a specific law will pass, or a military operation will succeed—and profit instantly when that event happens.

Surprisingly high, due to intense national security concerns. Banning congressional stock trading has historically faced resistance in Washington, but the addition of prediction markets—especially following the recent scandal involving a U.S. soldier betting on a classified raid—has unified both parties. The Senate already voted unanimously to alter its internal rules to enforce a ban on its own members, signaling massive momentum for the Public Service Accountability Act to pass uniformly across all branches.