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- Did a Gambler Really Use a Hairdryer to Alter Paris Temperature Readings and Win Big on Polymarket?
- French Police Probing Suspected Weather Device Tampering After Odd Polymarket Bet
- Trump Vows to Review Federal Workers’ Prediction Market Bets
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Gambling Crime
Gambler Allegedly Used Hairdryer to Steal $35K From Online Betting Site
April 14, 2026 (7:34 pm EDT)
A gambler reportedly used a hairdryer to tamper with a temperature gauge at a Paris airport in an effort to steal $35,000 from the prediction market Kalshi.
Paris police are investigating a complaint over alleged tampering of a weather sensor at its international airport, which led to an unusual spike in temperature readings, helping an unknown person make strong profits on the online betting platform Polymarket.
Even more crazy, it happened more than once this month.
Polymarket offers temperature and weather prediction markets on its platform.
Weather enthusiasts speculate that a battery-powered hairdryer may have been used to tamper with the sensor, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Prediction Markets
Trump Hedging His Bets on Prediction Markets
Friday April 24, 2026 (7:38 pm EDT)
U.S. President Donald Trump didn't seem all too thrilled about the surge in prediction markets when asked about the sector by reporters on Thursday. His administration, however, is all-in and friendly towards the industry as a number of states come after the likes of Kalshi.
"You know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. And you look at what’s going on all over the world and Europe, and every place they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually, but it is what it is now," Trump said when asked in the Oval Office about people who had placed lucrative bets centered around the Iran war.
"I think that I’m not happy with any of that stuff, but they have all these different sites of predictive markets. It’s a crazy world. It’s a much different world than it was," he said.
He also appeared to downplay the criminal charges filed by the Justice Department this week against a U.S. special forces soldier who is accused of using his knowledge about the raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to win almost $400,000 on Polymarket, comparing the situation to that of Pete Rose, who bet on the Cincinnati Reds while playing for and managing the team. Trump seemed to suggest it was okay as long as the bets were placed on his own team, in this case the U.S. military success in Venezuela.
"That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team. It’s a little like Pete Rose," Trump said of the charges against the special forces soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke.
"Now, if he bet against his team, that would be no good, but he bet on his own team. I’ll look into it," Trump said.
Prediction Markets
Trump Vows to Review Federal Workers’ Prediction Market Bets
Thursday April 23, 2026 (11:29 pm EDT)
President Donald Trump said he would investigate federal employees placing bets on event-betting platforms, indicating concerns with prediction markets amid worries that individuals are using confidential government information to profit.
Trump was asked Thursday about federal authorities arresting a soldier involved in the operation to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro over a successful $400,000 bet that the leader would be ousted from office.
“I’ll look into it,” Trump told reporters, adding that he long had issues with the concept of event-betting platforms.
“Well, you know, the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” Trump said. “And you look at what’s going on all over the world, in Europe and every place they’re doing these betting things. I was never much in favor of it. I don’t like it conceptually.”
A series of recent well-timed and profitable bets have raised questions about potential insider trading around the president’s military actions against Iran and Venezuela. The White House last month sent an internal staff-wide email that warned employees against using confidential information to place bets in financial or prediction markets. (source: Bloomberg)
Prediction Markets
AG Kaul Suing Prediction Market Titans Kalshi, Coinbase and Others
Thursday April 23, 2026 (11:29 pm EDT)
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is suing prediction market companies, alleging they are operating illegal gambling schemes.
The lawsuits claim the companies are disguising sports bets as "event contracts" to bypass state law.
Kaul is seeking to ban the practice in Wisconsin but is not requesting monetary damages.
The legal action follows a new state law that paves the way for online sports betting exclusively through Wisconsin's tribal nations.
Prediction Markets
French Police Probe Suspected Weather Device Tampering After Odd Polymarket Bet
April 23, 2026 (11:18 pm EDT)
Authorities in France are investigating possible tampering with a weather monitoring device at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris after an unusual temperature spike was recorded around the same time a Polymarket trader cashed in.
An anonymous trader with the username "xX25Xx" has drawn scrutiny from analysts and fellow traders on Polymarket, where people can bet on things like a city's top temperature and other real-world events.
The trader bet $119 that the weather in Paris on April 15 would jump past the equivalent of 64 degrees Fahrenheit, and weather enthusiasts online noticed a sudden spike in temperature on that day. Thanks to the sudden rise in temperature, the trader netted $21,398 in profit. (source: NPR)
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
