This Friday (April 24), BC banned Kalshi and Polymarket and other platforms from offering bets on elections, sports and reality shows in Brazil
O this Friday (April 24, 2026) predictive market operations involving bets on elections, sports and reality shows. The measure prevents companies that operate contracts based on future events, such as e offer bets on topics not linked to the economy.
However, Brazil is not the first to block access to Polymarket. In Argentina, for example, on March 16, the decided to suspend access to the platform throughout the territory for classifying it as a clandestine online betting system without authorization to operate in the country. The court decision ordered the removal of mobile applications from Google and Apple stores.
The Argentine court order covers users already registered on the platform. The information comes from the reporter . Judge Susana Parada, who presides over the PCyF 31 Court, handed down a ruling that covers access to the website and the removal of mobile applications from Android and iOS platforms.
O (Judicial Investigations Corps) of the city’s Public Prosecutor’s Office conducted an investigation that concluded that the site operated as a clandestine online betting system under the modality of “guess market”. Authorities have identified features that “significantly increased risks for users”.
Problems detected included the possibility of carrying out transactions with cryptocurrencies and credit cards, the lack of identity and age verification, and the ability to create accounts in a few minutes.
According to the report, the Argentine Public Ministry stated that “although they are generally presented as forecasting or collective analysis tools, their operation is equivalent to that of a betting shop: there is money at stake, an uncertain outcome and the possibility of making profits or suffering losses”.
Other countries have already adopted similar decisions against Polymarket, including France, Belgium, Singapore and Australia.
LOCKDOWN IN BRAZIL
The Brazilian government has stated that prediction markets are illegal in Brazil and . The announcement was made by the Minister of Economy, Dario Durigan, after coordination with the Central Bank, CVM (Securities Commission), Ministry of Justice and (Anate (National Telecommunications Agency).
Despite the determination, international platforms until the publication of this report. Polymarket operates outside the national financial system, based on blockchain technology, which makes direct action by Brazilian authorities difficult.
They establish that access and use of the platform are the responsibility of the user, who must comply with applicable laws in their jurisdiction. The document states that the service should not be used if the activity is prohibited in the user’s country of origin and highlights that the information displayed is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation. The company also states that it does not directly control transactions, which are carried out using blockchain technology, and that it is not responsible for the results of operations carried out by participants.
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