MercadoLibre

On June 17, 2026 Argentina's official lottery regulator publicly stated that Mercado Pago's promoted 'friends tournaments' allowing users to wager on World Cup matches constitute illegal gambling under Argentine law, since the product offered cash prizes funded from user stakes outside the official licensing regime. The regulator warned of criminal exposure for Mercado Pago and demanded the product be discontinued.

Argentina's Buenos Aires provincial government opened a consumer-protection investigation in late May 2026 into MercadoLibre over allegedly abusive contract terms imposed on platform sellers and buyers, with regulators publicly indicating a fine of up to 1.8 billion pesos was under consideration. The probe followed earlier provincial enforcement against Rappi for undisclosed surcharges and is part of a broader Buenos Aires push to regulate platform contracts and undisclosed fees.

A November 2023 academic study published by Bristol University Press found MercadoLibre's combination of algorithmic management with discretionary human management 'limited workers' autonomy, increased control to virtually any time spent by workers, and imposed stressful working conditions with negative implications for health and safety.' The study noted the company's hiring strategy relies 'extensively on labour broking.'