The Green Sun

What is The Green Sun?

In March, Polymarket opened The Situation Room, a pop-up “newsbar” in Washington, DC. The bar and lounge’s televisions played various content related to prediction markets, like Bloomberg Terminals, cable news, and live social media feeds that were “dedicated to monitoring the situation.”

A month earlier, Polymarket opened a free grocery store in New York City. The promotion ran Feb. 12-16, with shoppers allowed to gather up to $50 per person in free groceries.   

More recently, Polymarket has paid top dollar for prominent athletes and celebrities to promote its prediction market. The company’s paid partners include LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Spike Lee, and Craig Robinson.

About The Green Sun

In August, Cambodia’s state news agency, AKP, reported that authorities had inspected 195 licensed casinos nationwide as part of a broader anti-scam crackdown. This resulted in the revocation of 20 licences and the suspension of 29 others, with an additional 23 licences lapsing naturally. 

Touch Sokhak, deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, emphasised that the operation seeks to prevent Cambodia from becoming “a safe haven or money-laundering base for technology-related criminals”.

However, the sustained enforcement drive has already taken a toll on the wider Cambodian economy. In May, the government lowered its 2026 GDP growth forecast as construction, real estate and consumer spending absorb the short-term impact of the crackdown.

About The Green Sun

In this context, the regulations developed to protect players begin to function as a means of legitimisation, with illegal operators even using the term “authorised” in their communication and the “.bet” extension in their domain, which is intended only for licensed operators.

According to the governance policies of Meta, the owner of Instagram, gambling platforms can use programmatic advertising services and branded content, provided they receive authorisation from the platform. They cannot target content to individuals under 18 or territories where gambling is not regulated.

To obtain Meta’s approval, the company needs to fill out a form and attach documents proving its operating licence. This same form includes a contract, in the form of an “I accept the terms and conditions” button. In it, the advertiser releases Meta from liability for any violations of the content, including legal or administrative proceedings.