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Trader Heats Airport Temp, Wins $34K, Faces Probe

4/24/2026

47 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A trader used a heater at Charles de Gaulle Airport to raise the temperature reading to 22 °C, earning a $34,000 payout on Polymarket.
Police opened an investigation after Météo France filed complaints.
Polymarket moved the market to a new reference station and invoked its rule banning traders who can affect outcomes.

History

Historical Context

In 2012 regulators uncovered a global LIBOR rigging scheme, fining Barclays, JPMorgan and others $1.6 billion and prompting the UK Financial Conduct Authority and U.S. Department of Justice to overhaul benchmark oversight. That crackdown set a precedent for today’s scrutiny of decentralized prediction markets, where a Polymarket trader’s falsified 22 °C forecast at Charles de Gaulle earned a $34,000 payout.

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Story summary

A trader used a heater at Charles de Gaulle Airport to raise the temperature reading to 22 °C, earning a $34,000 payout on Polymarket.
Police opened an investigation after Météo France filed complaints.
Polymarket moved the market to a new reference station and invoked its rule banning traders who can affect outcomes.

1 / 2