Argentina Bans Polymarket Nationwide; Apps Removed from Stores

Published at 2026-03-17 05:45:13

A Buenos Aires court on March 17 ordered the national telecom regulator ENACOM to block access to Polymarket across Argentina and instructed Google and Apple to remove the app from their stores. The order will prevent new downloads and updates via official app channels, effectively severing a primary on-ramp for Argentine users to the U.S.-based prediction market platform.

The ruling heightens scrutiny on crypto-enabled prediction services and could set a local precedent for how authorities police such products. The court has not yet published detailed legal reasoning and Polymarket had not immediately commented. The ban may push activity toward decentralized or off-platform channels, complicating enforcement and raising questions for app-store policy and cross-border regulatory coordination.

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