Arizona Governor Bars State Workers from Profiting via Prediction Markets with Inside Knowledge
2026-07-10
Source: Focus Gaming News
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed an executive order banning state employees from using non-public information to profit from prediction markets, with violations risking dismissal and law enforcement referral. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has issued a similar order extending existing ethics rules to prediction markets.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed an executive order that forbids executive branch employees from using confidential government information to gain financially from prediction markets. The directive covers both direct profit-making and aiding others in avoiding losses through non-public data, with violations potentially leading to termination and criminal referral.
The governor’s office stated that the measure is intended to keep state employees focused on public service rather than personal enrichment. Hobbs has also urged other statewide elected officials, independent boards, commissions, and even the judicial and legislative branches to implement comparable rules.
“Public service is a privilege, and we will not tolerate anybody abusing that privilege to line their own pockets,” Hobbs said in announcing the order.
Similar action has been taken in North Carolina, where Governor Josh Stein signed an executive order extending the state’s Ethics Act. That rule already prohibits public workers from using information obtained through official duties for personal financial benefit, and the new order explicitly applies it to prediction markets.