Argentina has become the first Latin American country to block access to prediction markets provider Polymarket.
The blocking order applies throughout Argentina and was initiated by the Specialized Gambling Prosecutor’s Office of the City of Buenos Aires (FEJA) following a complaint from Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA), which argued that the platform was operating without a license.
The ruling issued by Judge Susana Parada goes beyond standard ISP blocking, with the court ordering Google and Apple to remove and restrict access to the operator’s apps for all users within Argentine territory, including those with existing accounts.
An investigation led by FEJA head prosecutor Juan Rozas, which included technical support from the Judicial Investigation Body (CIJ), established that Polymarket was operating as a de facto online betting system, using prediction markets as a way to circumvent local gambling regulations.
The findings highlighted several high-risk regulatory breaches. This included allowing transactions with cryptocurrencies and credit cards, not requiring identity or age verification, and enabling account creation in just a few minutes.
In practice, this meant that children and teenagers could access and start gambling without any oversight, said prosecutors.
“This outcome is the result of coordinated and sustained work among multiple agencies,” said the Public Prosecutor’s Office. “The Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA) filed the initial complaint, and the Association of State Lotteries of Argentina (ALEA) confirmed that the platform was not authorized in any jurisdiction in the country, providing a crucial element in establishing the illegality of its operations at the federal level.
“For its part, the Argentine Chamber of Casino Halls, Bingo Halls and Annexes (CASCBA) also filed a separate complaint, providing relevant information on the irregular operation and the absence of identity and age checks.”