BlockBeats News, March 17th, a court in Argentina has ordered the nationwide blockade of the crypto prediction market platform Polymarket. According to the ruling on March 11th, the Buenos Aires 31st Criminal, Misdemeanor, and Petty Offenses Trial Court requested the Argentine National Communications Regulatory Agency (ENACOM) to take action to prevent users from accessing the Polymarket website and its related domains.
The case was brought by the Buenos Aires City Gambling Regulatory Agency (LOTBA). Local prosecutor Juan Rozas, in charge of gambling affairs, then launched an investigation, accusing Polymarket of providing gambling services to Argentine users without authorization, allegedly violating the country’s criminal law.
The court ordered ENACOM to implement the blockade through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and to promptly report to the court or the gaming prosecutor’s office in case of technical obstacles. In addition, the court also requested Google and Apple to delist and restrict Polymarket’s Android and iOS apps in the Argentine region, including restricting access for existing users.
The regulatory agency pointed out that the Polymarket platform lacks sufficient identity and age verification mechanisms, theoretically allowing “anyone, including minors, to place bets without supervision.”
According to local media reports, a prediction market on Polymarket regarding Argentine inflation data had previously been highly consistent with data released by the official statistical agency, leading to speculation about potential insider trading.
