Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) introduced a House resolution on Thursday to ban members of the U.S. House and their staff from trading on prediction-market platforms.
The move aims to eliminate potential insider trading and resolve ethical concerns surrounding lawmakers who have access to nonpublic information that could influence market outcomes.
This proposal follows a similar action in the other chamber, where the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a ban preventing senators and staff from using prediction markets [1]. The Senate's decision came after insider-trading charges were brought against Polymarket [2].
Legislative interest in restricting these platforms has increased this year. At least six distinct prediction-market-ban bills have been introduced in Congress since January 2026 [3].
Hinson's resolution seeks to amend House rules to ensure that those working within the legislative branch cannot profit from predicting political or policy outcomes. The resolution addresses the risk that staff members or representatives could leverage private knowledge of pending legislation or executive actions to gain an unfair advantage on these platforms.
While the Senate has already reached a consensus, the House resolution must now move through the standard legislative process to determine if the ban will be adopted across the entire congressional workforce.
“Rep. Ashley Hinson introduced a House resolution to ban members of the U.S. House and their staff from trading on prediction-market platforms.”
The push to ban prediction market trading reflects a broader effort to tighten ethics rules as financial instruments for betting on political events become more popular. By aligning House rules with the Senate's unanimous ban, Congress is attempting to close a perceived loophole where lawmakers could monetize insider knowledge of government proceedings.
