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Maricopa County bans employees from prediction market betting

By
FOX 10 Phoenix
Arizona Politics
Published July 15, 2026 9:17 PM MST
Published July 15, 2026 9:17 PM MST
New ethics policy prevents Maricopa County staff from insider betting
New ethics policy prevents Maricopa County staff from insider betting

New ethics policy prevents Maricopa County staff from insider betting

Maricopa County supervisors passed a new ethics policy stopping employees from wagering on prediction markets using non-public government information. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi learns what the new policy does and why leaders say it's needed.

The Brief

    • Maricopa County supervisors unanimously approved a policy preventing employees from using non-public information for profit in prediction markets.
    • The rule applies to county employees under the board's authority, and violations could result in dismissal or referral to law enforcement.
    • The county's decision follows a recent executive order from Gov. Katie Hobbs that similarly restricted state employees.

PHOENIX - The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a new ethics policy prohibiting county employees under the board's authority from using non-public information to personally profit through prediction markets.

What we know:

County leaders say the policy, approved July 15, is intended to address potential conflicts of interest as prediction markets, where people can wager on the outcome of future events and economic trends, continue to grow in popularity across the country.

"By doing this today, we're the first major county to adopt this policy," District 2 Supervisor Thomas Galvin said.

What they're saying:

County officials say employees could have access to non-public information, including details about upcoming government decisions or internal operations, that could create an unfair advantage.

Galvin said the policy is not a response to misconduct by county employees, but a proactive effort to prevent potential conflicts before they arise.

"Can you imagine if someone knows the outcome of a trial before the verdict is released, and they're able to make a prediction market bet on that?" Galvin said. "Even things like weather activations or emergency response, all those different things now are affected."

By the numbers:

Galvin said the policy applies to the around 10,000 county employees who report to the Board of Supervisors.

Big picture view:

ASU School of Public Affairs professor and former Clark County, Nevada manager Thom Reilly said the rapid growth of prediction markets has created new ethical considerations for governments.

"It's about public trust," Reilly said. "It's ensuring that public employees are not using their office for financial gain... This is relatively new, but the point is that you should be ahead of the game. So as we develop new technology, particularly around the issue of AI and new proprietary issues, you should be thinking ahead."

Local perspective:

The county's action comes one week after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an executive order prohibiting state employees from using inside information to profit from prediction markets. Both the state and county policies say violations could result in disciplinary action, including dismissal, and possible referral to law enforcement.

Why you should care:

Galvin said the county's policy is intended to prevent problems before they occur and preserve public confidence in local government.

"I don't accept or assume that any of our employees are going to be doing this," Galvin said. "We have great employees at Maricopa County, but frankly, it's for peace of mind for our residents and the people we serve."

The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Supervisor Thomas Galvin and Thom Reilly of the ASU School of Public Affairs.

Arizona PoliticsMaricopa CountyNews