US Senate bans prediction market trading by Senators, staff

The US Senate voted unanimously to ban prediction market trading among Senators and their staffers on Thursday.

The Senate joined several other organisations that have banned employees from trading on the platforms to avoid conflicts of interest. Last week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker banned state employees from using insider information to bet on prediction markets. A day earlier, National Public Radio issued a similar directive to its editorial employees.

"Serving in Congress is an honor, not a side hustle," Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio and the bill's sponsor, said in a statement on X. "Americans deserve to know that their leaders are here for the right reason!"

The resolution approved by senators on Thursday changes the chamber's rules, and violations are policed by its members. It does not have the force of law, and it does not need to be approved by the House of Representatives or signed by the president.

The resolution comes as bills to regulate prediction markets flood Congress.

Ritchie Torres, a New York Representative, presented the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026 in January to block federal officials from trading on prediction markets. In March, Democratic senators Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar filed a bill to formally prohibit senior members of the executive branch from trading on prediction markets.

A bipartisan bill from Representatives Blake Moore of Utah and Salud Carbajal of California aims to rein in…