Argentina orders nationwide block of Polymarket over inflation prediction controversy, citing insider risks, gambling violations and lack of user safeguards

An Argentine court has ordered a nationwide block on Polymarket after prosecutors said the platform was being used as an unregulated betting venue and that suspicious wagers around the country’s inflation data raised insider-trading concerns. The case emerged after journalists and investigators flagged a burst of bets on Argentina’s February inflation figure shortly before the official release, with reporting citing about US$27,885 wagered on the exact outcome and a possible leak of nonpublic data. The ruling, issued by Judge Susana Parada following a complaint from Buenos Aires gambling authorities, directs internet providers to block access to the site and asks Apple and Google to remove the app locally. Prosecutors also argued that Polymarket lacked identity and age verification, enabling users to open accounts quickly and potentially letting minors participate, while the platform’s use of crypto and credit cards without gambling-sector controls was presented as an additional regulatory violation. The case matters because it shows how prediction markets can run into gambling law, consumer-protection, and market-integrity issues at the same time, especially when contracts track sensitive economic data like inflation.

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