Argentina Orders Nationwide Polymarket Block Over Lack of KYC, Insider-Trading Concerns

Polymarket allows users to trade on event outcomes using crypto assets, but Argentine authorities classify it as online gambling based on how it operates in practice. The Buenos Aires City Lottery regulator, LOTBA, and the Chamber of Casino and Bingo Operators, CASCBA, allege that the platform is unlicensed and lacks identity and age verification, potentially allowing minors to participate and increasing money-laundering risks.

On March 16, 2026, Judge Susana Parada of Buenos Aires Criminal, Misdemeanor and Petty Offenses Court No. 31 ordered the national communications regulator ENACOM to coordinate a nationwide website block by internet service providers and directed Apple and Google to restrict the app. Earlier, an account correctly wagered on the outcome 15 minutes before INDEC released February’s inflation rate. The amount bet was not disclosed, and prosecutors are investigating whether a data leak or insider trading was involved.