An Israeli Civilian and an IDF Reservist Suspected of Running Betting Pools on Military Operations
The ISA (Shin Bet), Ministry of Defense, and Israel Police announced that several suspects were recently arrested on suspicion of managing bets on Polymarket
Hadas Grinberg February 12, 2026
The ISA, Ministry of Defense, and Israel Police announced this Thursday that several suspects, including a civilian and reservists, were recently arrested. They are suspected of managing bets on the Polymarket website regarding the occurrence of military operations, based on classified information to which the reservists were exposed by virtue of their roles in the IDF.
Following an investigation by Malmab (the Ministry of Defense Security Authority) and the ISA, and after an evidentiary basis was established against a civilian and a reservist, the State Attorney’s Office decided to prosecute them for serious security offenses, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the ISA and the “Erezim” unit—a joint task force of Malmab and the Israel Police—along with the Military Police (MPCID) and Information Security Department, accompanied by the Cyber Department of the State Attorney’s Office.
The defense establishment emphasized that conducting such bets based on secret and classified information poses a genuine security risk to IDF operations and national security.
“Malmab, the ISA, the Israel Police, and the IDF take the acts attributed to the defendants very seriously and will act decisively to thwart and prosecute any person involved in the illegal use of classified information,” they added.
The IDF Spokesperson stated: “The IDF views any act that endangers national security with extreme severity, particularly the use of highly classified information for personal gain, as suggested by the information received by the IDF. This is a severe ethical failure and a clear crossing of a red line that is inconsistent with IDF values and what is expected of those who serve. Criminal and disciplinary proceedings will be taken against any party found to be involved in actions of this type.”
Authorities further clarified that, according to the findings of the investigation, no operational harm was caused in this specific instance. "The IDF will not tolerate such conduct. Following the incident, steps were taken and procedures will be tightened across all IDF units to prevent the recurrence of similar cases."
Polymarket allows users to buy and sell ‘contracts’ on the outcomes of events, including NFL games, and is not "betting" in the traditional sense. The platform belongs to the category of Prediction Markets, which offer a way to navigate betting laws in jurisdictions where sports betting is still prohibited.