Buenos Aires court orders nationwide block of Polymarket, citing unlicensed gambling and crypto payments

A Buenos Aires court ordered a nationwide block of prediction market Polymarket and directed national regulator ENACOM to restrict access to the platform, with enforcement actions reported on March 16, 2026 ^{[1] [2]}.

Authorities moved against Polymarket after a complaint from LOTBA that led regulators to classify the service as unlicensed online gambling; reports say the platform accepted cryptocurrency and credit-card payments, which factored into the probe and subsequent block ^{[1] [3]}.

Argentina’s action follows similar steps in other jurisdictions and came after early bets on February inflation on the platform; analysts and outlets warned the block may hinder access to global prediction markets and could affect financial transparency and innovation in the region ^{[4] [5]}.

The court-ordered block underscores growing regulatory scrutiny of crypto-based prediction markets in Latin America as authorities treat certain platforms as unlicensed gambling services and move to enforce nationwide restrictions ^{[2] [1]}.