Argentina has moved to cut off access to Polymarket after a Buenos Aires court ordered a nationwide block on the crypto-based prediction market and directed Google and Apple to remove its app from their stores in the country. The case was brought after local authorities concluded the platform was operating without authorization in a market where gambling activity requires formal approval.
Rather than treating Polymarket as a novel iGaming product, Argentine authorities framed it as an unlicensed betting operation and moved against both web access and mobile distribution at the same time.
A Buenos Aires gambling case has now turned into a nationwide enforcement action
The investigation began after Buenos Aires City Lottery filed a complaint over Polymarket’s activity in Argentina. Prosecutors from the city’s specialized gambling unit then pursued the case, and the resolution was issued by Criminal, Misdemeanor and Offenses Court No. 31 under Judge Susana Parada. The measure applies across the whole country, not just within Buenos Aires.
Argentina’s gambling regulation is usually fragmented across provincial or city-level authorities, but in this case the court accepted a wider intervention after prosecutors argued the platform was operating illegally on a federal scale without authorization in any local jurisdiction.
Authorities said Polymarket looked like betting without player protection
The core allegation is that Polymarket functioned as an online betting system disguised as a prediction market. Investigators said users could open accounts within minutes, fund activity with cryptocurrencies and credit cards, and begin participating without identity or age verification. That lack of checks was treated as a major consumer protection failure, especially because it could allow minors to access the platform.
Authorities also said Polymarket did not hold any gambling authorization from the Association of State Lotteries of Argentina, strengthening the case for immediate action rather than a warning or compliance process.
Argentina draws a tougher line on prediction markets
The immediate effect is that Argentina has become the first country in South America to secure a court-ordered block of Polymarket, while also going after the app stores that help distribute it. That makes this more than a local licensing dispute. It is an enforcement signal to other offshore prediction market operators who consider entering the region.
