Lawmakers warn that unrestricted betting on wildfires, already ravaging large areas of Oregon and other parts of the country, could be the catalyst for acts of arson. Oregon Senator Calls on the CFTC to Crack Down on Wildfire BettingOregon Senator Jeff Merkley had led a group of eight other senators in an appeal to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to crack down on wildfire betting. Their action follows recent reports highlighting public safety and insider trading concerns related to prediction market platforms. He has previously urged the CFTC to tackle insider trading and betting on elections, war, government and military actions, and sports. Senator Merkley authored the STOP Corrupt Bets Act, which seeks to ban prediction market betting on issues deemed contrary to the public interest or lacking economic value.