Campaign staffers making 'thousands' betting on their own candidates using insider information, report says

Source: The Independent

Thursday 07 May 2026 12:16 EDT


Campaign staffers are using privileged information about the popularity of their own political candidates to make “thousands” of dollars on betting apps, a practice that has become “commonplace,” according to a report.

The recent surge in popularity of gambling apps like Polymarket and Kalshi, which offer “event contracts” on real-world happenings, has caused the question of insider trading to come to the fore this year as suspicious betting patterns arise and regulators struggle to keep pace. In one instance, a U.S. soldier reportedly made $400,000 correctly forecasting the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro shortly before it came to pass in early January when U.S. forces swept into Caracas.

Now NPR reports on the prevalence of betting among political operatives, offering the example of one anonymous staffer working on a statewide campaign in the American South. The unnamed individual saw the results of a forthcoming new poll on their candidate’s fortunes, realised it would drive up the politician’s odds, and took advantage by placing a bet before the survey was published.

“Myself and others started placing bets before that poll came out,” they told the network. “And then, sure enough, as soon as that poll came out, the stock went up and everybody made money.”. The staffer said the most they had ever made from gambling in this way was “thousands” and reflected: “Because you have all this information and knowledge that isn’t publicly available yet, it’s almost foolish not to bet on it before it’s made public.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/polymarket-kalshi-political-betting-b2972381.html