The investigation follows a complaint filed by Météo-France, which reported 'physical findings on one of our instruments and the analysis of sensor data' to authorities, the national weather service told the Financial Times. French police confirmed they had received the complaint and that the cybercrime division is probing the matter, major media reported.
The weather station at Charles de Gaulle airport was used to settle bets on the temperature in Paris for March and early April, according to multiple reports. On some days, more than $500,000 was in play on these bets. Three separate wallets made more than $280,000 by betting that the temperature in Paris would reach 19°C on 15 April, with the reading unexpectedly jumping by 5°C that evening, major media reported. At least one wager appears to have been placed just before a temperature spike, resulting in a $21,000 profit for an anonymous user who also has money on weather in Seoul and Toronto.
What did you do to the temperature sensor at Paris airport yesterday? Was your weapon of choice a hairdryer or a lighter?
On Polymarket Discord channels, anonymous gamblers shared an AI-generated picture of a man with a hairdryer aimed at a weather station next to an airport runway. One anonymous bettor asked, 'What did you do to the temperature sensor at Paris airport yesterday? Was your weapon of choice a hairdryer or a lighter?' Polymarket has stopped using the sensor at Charles de Gaulle and now relies on one at Paris-Le Bourget airport, but did not cancel the contracts or refund the bets, according to multiple reports.
Polymarket's expansion is stoking concerns that reality may become subject to the whims of online gamblers. In a separate incident, bettors threatened an Israeli journalist after he reported a missile hit near Jerusalem, because of nearly $1m staked on whether Iran would strike Israel. Gamblers have discussed contacting the Institute for the Study of War, whose maps will determine bets on the war in Ukraine. Neither the Institute for the Study of War, the journalist, nor Météo-France have a say in whether their reports become the determining factor for these bets, major media reported.
Physical findings on one of our instruments and the analysis of sensor data
Traders and institutional investors, including Goldman Sachs, are starting to use Polymarket data to inform their trades, according to multiple reports. Because Polymarket markets are thin, small groups might manipulate larger markets by laying bets that skew data, raising concerns about the reliability of such data for financial decisions. It remains unclear whether the sensor was actually tampered with, who might be responsible, or whether Polymarket will face regulatory action.