- Argentina ordered ISPs to block Polymarket and remove its apps from major platforms.
- Judge Susana Parada ruled the platform operated as an unlicensed betting service.
- Authorities cited a lack of identity checks, age verification, and local licensing compliance.
A Buenos Aires judge has ordered the immediate and total blocking of Polymarket across Argentina, making the country the second in Latin America to restrict the cryptocurrency-based prediction market platform and the latest in a growing list of jurisdictions pushing back against an industry that has outpaced the regulations meant to govern it.
The Order
According to reports, Judge Susana Parada directed Argentina’s National Communications Entity, ENACOM, to implement the block through internet service providers nationwide. Google and Apple have been instructed to remove Polymarket’s applications from their stores for all Argentine users, including those who have already installed the platform.
As of Monday afternoon Buenos Aires time, access remained available. ENACOM must formally notify all internet service providers before enforcement begins, creating a procedural delay between the judicial order and technical reality.
What Triggered It
The complaint originated with the Buenos Aires City Lottery and was joined by the Argentine Chamber of Casino Halls and Bingo Halls. Prosecutors determined that Polymarket operated as a covert online betting system, accepting cryptocurrency and credit card payments with no identity verification, no age checks, and account creation possible within minutes.
Judge Parada said these characteristics significantly increase risks to users, including minors. The absence of any local operating licence was the central legal point. Under Argentine regulations, operating a gambling platform without authorisation is a violation regardless of how the service chooses to describe itself.
A Pattern Across 30 Countries
Argentina is not acting alone. Colombia imposed a similar restriction last year. Dutch regulators ordered Polymarket to cease operations last month. Portugal shut the platform down after it recorded over $120 million in bets on a presidential election. Polymarket is now restricted or facing active proceedings in more than 30 countries.
The platform rose to global prominence during the 2024 US presidential campaign when its probability estimates for Donald Trump consistently outperformed traditional polling. That visibility brought a global user base and, in parallel, the regulatory consequences now unfolding across multiple continents.
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Source: https://coinedition.com/argentina-moves-to-ban-polymarket-as-regulators-target-crypto-prediction-markets/
