Polymarket Faces Nationwide Ban in Argentina Following Court Ruling on Illegal Gambling
Argentina's telecommunications regulator ENACOM has been ordered by a Buenos Aires court to implement a countrywide ban on Polymarket due to concerns over unlicensed gambling operations.
An Argentine court has mandated a complete nationwide prohibition of Polymarket, a leading cryptocurrency-powered prediction market platform, on grounds of operating gambling services without proper authorization.
The Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones (ENACOM), Argentina's national regulator overseeing communications and media, was issued a judicial directive to prevent access to the Polymarket website and all its alternative versions throughout Argentine territory, as documented in a court ruling dated March 11.
The directive originated from the Buenos Aires Court of First Instance in Criminal, Contravention and Minor Offenses No. 31, which is currently conducting an investigation into Polymarket under provisions of Argentina's Criminal Code for purportedly providing gambling services in the absence of proper authorization.
The presiding judge instructed ENACOM to execute the blocking measure either through direct action or by coordinating with internet service providers (ISPs), and to immediately notify the court or the specialized gambling prosecutor's office should any technical or other impediments arise that would hinder complete execution of the order.
Buenos Aires regulator initiated the case
Based on reports from local news sources, the legal action originated from the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA), which is the government-controlled entity responsible for overseeing and regulating gambling operations within the city.
Following receipt of a formal complaint from LOTBA regarding Polymarket's purported unauthorized operations, prosecutor Juan Rozas, who heads the City's Specialized Gaming Prosecutor's Office (FEJA), launched the investigation that ultimately resulted in the judicial blocking order.
Government officials contended that Polymarket enabled users to engage in betting activities in the absence of adequate identity verification and age confirmation processes, creating risks that underage individuals could gain access to the platform.
In practice, this meant that anyone — including children and adolescents — could access and start betting without any control,
the authorities reportedly said.
Inflation bets deepen scrutiny
Beyond directing ENACOM to restrict access to Polymarket, the court also reportedly issued orders to Google and Apple requiring them to delete and block the platform's mobile applications on both Android and iOS operating systems across all of Argentina, affecting both prospective and current users.
Reports emerging from social media platforms suggest users are exploring alternative access methods including VPNs, while commentators have pointed out that the blocking order was issued by a Buenos Aires city-level court as opposed to national government authorities.
This legal action compounds previous investigations into Polymarket following heightened attention to its inflation-focused prediction markets, which demonstrated remarkable alignment with official statistics published by Argentina's national statistics agency, sparking renewed debate over possible insider trading activities, as reported by local media outlets.
Polymarket did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Cointelegraph.
The regulatory action taken by Argentina represents the most recent instance of governmental measures targeting prediction markets on a global scale, with nations such as the Netherlands, Hungary, Portugal and Ukraine implementing comparable restrictions to limit platform access.
Within the Latin American region, Colombia emerged as one of the earliest countries to pursue enforcement action, with its gambling regulatory authority issuing warnings about Polymarket's unauthorized activities in September 2025, according to reports.