Argentina bans Polymarket and orders app removal from Apple and Google stores, becoming 34th country to restrict access

Argentina has ordered a nationwide block on Polymarket after a Buenos Aires court directed internet providers to restrict access and instructed Apple and Google to remove the app from their stores, citing the platform's operation as an unlicensed gambling service that allows bets via cryptocurrency and credit card without identity or age verification. The case gained urgency after Polymarket displayed a 2.9% inflation estimate roughly 15 minutes before Argentina's official release of the figure, raising concerns about premature exposure to sensitive economic data. Argentina becomes the 34th country to fully restrict access to Polymarket, even as the U.S. is moving in the opposite direction, with the CFTC recently dropping its 2024 draft rule that would have banned political prediction markets.