Polymarket is blocked in Argentina. On March 18, 2026, a Buenos Aires federal court ordered a nationwide ban on the platform, classifying it as unlicensed gambling. ENACOM (Argentina’s telecom regulator) was directed to enforce the block through all internet service providers, and Apple and Google were ordered to remove Polymarket’s apps from Argentine stores.
Importantly, this is a country-imposed block, not a Polymarket geoblock. The restriction comes from an Argentine court ordering local ISPs and app stores to cut access — Polymarket itself does not block Argentina. The ban is enforced at the national level by Argentine authorities, not by the platform. This distinction matters because it affects how (and whether) the block can be worked around, and it means the availability of Polymarket is decided by Argentine law, not by Polymarket’s own geographic restrictions.
Current Status: Blocked (Country-Imposed)
On March 16, 2026, Judge Susana Parada issued a ruling directing ENACOM to block Polymarket across all Argentine ISPs. The order, formally published on March 18, makes Argentina the first country in Latin America to impose a nationwide ban on a crypto-based prediction market.
Crucially, this is a country-imposed block — it originates from the Argentine court and is enforced by Argentine ISPs and app stores. It is not a Polymarket geoblock. Polymarket itself does not restrict Argentina; the platform is being made unavailable to Argentina by Argentine authorities rather than being blocked by Polymarket globally. The practical result for a new visitor is the same — the site isn’t reachable from an Argentine connection — but the mechanism, and the possibility of it ever being lifted, is entirely in the hands of the Argentine government and courts.
The case was initiated by LOTBA (Loteria de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires) — the Buenos Aires City Lottery authority — and backed by CASCBA (Camara Argentina de Salas de Casinos, Bingos y Anexos), an industry group representing Argentina’s licensed casino operators. Both argued that Polymarket was operating without any local authorization.
Argentina became one of a growing number of jurisdictions where the platform is unavailable — though, unlike the geoblocks Polymarket applies to many other countries, Argentina’s restriction is imposed by the state rather than by the platform itself.
Why Argentina Blocked Polymarket
The Court’s Classification
The Buenos Aires court accepted the argument that Polymarket’s event contracts are gambling under Argentine law, not a distinct category of “prediction markets.” The reasoning: users stake money on uncertain outcomes, prices reflect implied probabilities, and the operator facilitates the exchange. This makes it functionally identical to betting.
The court invoked Article 301 bis of Argentina’s Penal Code, which prohibits the organization of unlicensed gambling activities. Without a licence from a provincial gambling authority (like LOTBA), operating a betting platform accessible to Argentine users is a criminal offence.
The Inflation Data Incident
The investigation gained urgency after a suspicious trading pattern on Polymarket’s Argentina inflation market in February 2026. Argentina’s statistics agency INDEC was preparing to release the official February inflation figure. However, 15 to 20 minutes before publication, trading volume spiked dramatically. Nearly $91,000 was placed on the outcome of exactly 2.9% — which turned out to be the correct figure.
This suggested traders were acting on privileged government data. While Polymarket itself wasn’t accused of leaking information, the incident demonstrated to regulators that unregulated prediction markets create financial incentives to exploit insider information, particularly around sensitive government economic data.
No KYC, No Age Verification
The court also flagged that Polymarket operates without identity verification or age controls. Users can create accounts and begin trading within minutes using only a crypto wallet. Argentine regulators cited this as a fundamental violation of consumer protection standards, raising concerns about minors accessing what they classify as a gambling platform.
Argentine Alternatives
Argentina’s legal online gambling market is regulated at the provincial level, not nationally. The City of Buenos Aires has the most developed framework through LOTBA:
| Platform | Type | Legal Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOTBA-licensed operators | Sports betting, casino | Licensed (Buenos Aires) | 11 operators currently live |
| Provincial sportsbooks | Sports betting | Licensed (varies by province) | Each province regulates independently |
| Bet365 | Sportsbook | Grey area | Accessible but not locally licensed |
Key limitations:
- No prediction markets are licensed anywhere in Argentina
- No non-sports betting — event contracts on politics, economics, or crypto have no legal framework
- Provincial gambling licences don’t cover crypto-based platforms
- The Buenos Aires tender for new online gaming licences closed in June 2024 — no new operators are being admitted
There is no legal Polymarket-equivalent available in Argentina.
Accessing Polymarket from Argentina
Because the block is enforced at the ISP level (and in the app stores) rather than by Polymarket’s own geoblocking, the platform can still serve Argentine users who are able to reach it — there is no KYC or identity verification tied to the restriction. Users in Argentina report reaching the site through various methods, and the block itself is not one that Polymarket enforces or controls. Whether any given method remains effective can change as ENACOM and the ISPs update their enforcement.
If you did access Polymarket, you’d deposit USDC or any of 21 other supported tokens — Polymarket converts everything to PUSD (its own dollar-pegged stablecoin) on arrival. Argentina has very high crypto adoption — approximately 20% of the population uses cryptocurrency, driven by decades of peso instability and inflation. Argentine crypto exchanges include:
| Exchange | ARS Deposits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon Cash | Bank transfer, debit card | Popular Argentine fintech, Visa Lemon Card available |
| Ripio | Bank transfer, cash | Founded in Argentina, strong LATAM presence |
| Buenbit | Bank transfer | Acquired by Nexo in late 2025, stablecoin focus |
| Binance | P2P (ARS), bank transfer | Largest global exchange, strong P2P in Argentina |
| Bitso | Bank transfer | Mexican exchange, popular across LATAM |
Argentina’s central bank announced in January 2026 that banks will be authorized to offer crypto custody and trading services starting April 2026, which will make fiat-to-crypto on-ramps even more accessible.
Related Guides
- What Is Polymarket? — Learn about the platform
- Polymarket Country Availability — Check all country statuses
- How Prediction Markets Work — Understand the mechanics