Precise sniping or insider trading? On the night before Maduro's arrest, a mysterious market prediction account made a frenzy of $400,000, prompting U.S. legislation
A prediction market trade surrounding the fate of Venezuelan President Maduro is triggering an urgent crackdown in U.S. politics on a new realm of "insider trading." According to reports, a user invested approximately $32,500 on Polymarket, betting that Maduro would step down before January 31, and after the news of his arrest was made public, they made a profit of over $400,000, with a return rate of more than 1,200%.
This move has sparked significant "insider information" controversy because some trades occurred just hours before the official announcement. In response, U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres is about to introduce the "2026 Financial Prediction Market Public Integrity Act," aimed at prohibiting federal officials from using non-public information obtained through their duties in prediction market trading, extending the principles of the Securities Act to this emerging field, which had a trading volume of over $44 billion in 2025.