Argentina ordered a nationwide block of the prediction market Polymarket after a ruling by Buenos Aires Judge Susana Parada on March 16. The communications regulator ENACOM has been instructed to enforce the ban through internet service providers and app stores, effectively preventing access to the platform on Android and iOS devices.
The measure follows Polymarket’s accurate prediction of February inflation data before the official release by INDEC, which prompted scrutiny from authorities and journalists. A data review identified a pattern of small but unusually timed wagers placed by accounts that typically trade minimal amounts, raising suspicions of possible insider activity.
Complaints from LOTBA (the Buenos Aires City lottery authority) and CASCBA (the national gambling industry association), together with investigative work by FEJA (the city’s gambling prosecutor) and CIJ (the Public Prosecutor’s Office technical investigative branch), concluded that Polymarket was operating as an unlicensed online betting service. The court highlighted features it found problematic: easy account creation, acceptance of cryptocurrencies and credit cards, and a lack of age-verification procedures that could expose minors to gambling risks.
Supporters of the ban say the action protects consumers and preserves the integrity of regulated gambling markets. Critics argue the block restricts access to global prediction tools and raises questions about how cross-border decentralized platforms should be regulated.
Argentina becomes the second country in Latin America to impose a full blockade on Polymarket; Colombia’s regulator Coljuegos declared the platform illegal without a licence in September 2025 and ordered internet providers to block it. This ruling signals growing regional attention to the regulatory status of decentralized prediction markets.
Edited by Vivian Nguyen.