Arizona Governor Signs Executive Order Barring State Workers from Insider Trading on Prediction Markets

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has signed an executive order that prohibits executive branch employees from using nonpublic government information to gain financially on prediction markets. The directive, announced today, classifies such confidential data as protected material, aiming to ensure state workers prioritize public service over personal profit.

“Arizonans deserve a state government that works for them, not one where insiders exploit public service for their own gain,” Hobbs stated, adding, “Public service is a privilege, and we will not tolerate anybody abusing that privilege to line their own pockets.” The move follows recent media investigations and federal indictments revealing that some government employees outside Arizona had leveraged inside knowledge to place winning bets on government actions, including international military operations.

The order explicitly forbids all executive branch personnel from disclosing or using confidential information to profit, avoid losses, or assist others in doing so through prediction markets. Violations could result in termination, additional penalties, or referral to law enforcement. To reinforce the policy, the executive order designates any nonpublic data obtained during public service that could be used for wagering as officially confidential.

Governor Hobbs also urged other state elected officials, independent commissions, and the judicial and legislative branches to adopt similar rules for their own staff, broadening the ethical safeguards across Arizona’s government.