French officials are investigating after $34,000 (£25,100) was won on a weather bet, following claims that a temperature sensor at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris was tampered with.
Readings at the airport spiked twice in April at the same time as bets with large winnings were placed on Polymarket, the world’s largest prediction market.
Several crypto outlets and trader publications speculated that a hairdryer could have been used to create a false temperature reading. Weather forums suggested the device could have been battery-powered, according to Le Monde. However, the claims are unverified.
“In view of physical findings on one of our instruments and the analysis of sensor data, Météo-France was indeed led to file a complaint for alteration of the operation of an automated data processing system with the Air Transport Gendarmerie Brigade of Roissy,” a spokesperson said.
“As the investigation is ongoing, we do not wish to make any further comments in order to ensure the proper conduct of the procedure.”
On 6 April and 15 April, peak temperatures were recorded that were significantly higher figures than expected. A reading of 21C was recorded at 7pm and 22C at 9:30pm respectively, according to the reports.
The chances of the temperature being above 18C on both days had been estimated at one per cent, meaning that anyone who had bet on unlikely outcome would have seen a huge pay off.
One trader won $21,000 (£15,600) on 15 April with the total number of successful bets totalling $34,000 (£25,100).
The data source for Paris’s highest temperature has reportedly been shifted to the Paris-Le Bourget airport, according to the Telegraph.
“There was work done on the station’s shelter yesterday that led to these aberrant readings,” said Sébastien Brana, an administrator of the Infoclimat Association. They initially thought that the issue was caused by a “sensor drift” or “maintenance problem”.
“We reported these suspicions internally to Météo France, and the least we can say is that our report was taken very seriously and at a high level, resulting in a formal complaint being filed.”
Polymarket has previously been accused of enabling insider trading. Punters are able to put bets on an extraordinarily diverse range of issues including sports and the weather to the war in Iran.
Earlier this month, the company was forced to pull a bet on the fate of a US pilot missing in Iran as critics called it a “dystopian death market”.
The Independent has contacted Polymarket for comment.
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