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Polymarket is opening a free grocery store in New York next week, just as Kalshi gave out $50 worth of groceries to people at a WestSide Market on Tuesday.
Both companies run prediction platforms that let people bet on real-world events, and now they’re trying to win over regular folks with food. Timing isn’t random. The Super Bowl is coming this Sunday, and both are trying to get more users while everyone’s attention is locked on bets.
Kalshi’s giveaway brought a crowd. A line started forming 30 minutes before it began and stretched past a city block in lower Manhattan. Staff let 50 people in every 15 minutes. Most people waiting didn’t even know what Kalshi was.
But they knew groceries were expensive and this was free. One of them, Henry, a 19-year-old bartender, said, “Fifty bucks is like three hours of work. It’s a big deal.”
Kalshi hands out grocery money while city grapples with food prices
Grocery prices have gone up around 30% since 2020, based on numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a survey from March 2025, almost 90% of New Yorkers said groceries were going up faster than their income.
That issue helped Zohran, New York’s new mayor, win his election. He had promised city-run grocery stores to fix the problem. He called the current price hikes “out of control.”
Kalshi is betting on this crisis. Its co-founder Tarek pitched the grocery event while chatting with WestSide Market’s CEO George during halftime at a Knicks game.
George said, “I liked his thought process on giving back to the community.” The event launched days later. It wasn’t subtle either. They wanted attention. And they got it.
But right as that was happening, Polymarket threw down the gauntlet. It announced on social media that it signed a lease for an actual physical store that’ll open on February 12.
They called it “The Polymarket.” It won’t just be a pop-up. It’ll be a real store, stocked with staple goods and fully run by the company. It’s free. No signup. No strings.
Polymarket returns to US with a store, a new app, and $2 billion
This move comes right after Polymarket got regulatory approval to operate in the U.S. again. They were banned in 2022 and forced to go offshore. But late last month, they got cleared by the CFTC, and their app launched in the U.S. on Wednesday.
The grocery store is part of a bigger comeback. Polymarket also gave $1 million to a local food bank and said the store is “open to all New Yorkers.” A company rep said everything will be paid for by them, including the staff.
Even though both companies are using groceries to draw people in, they’re still getting slammed by critics. This week, Letitia, the state’s attorney general, warned people.
“It’s crystal clear: so-called prediction markets do not have the same consumer protections as regulated platforms,” she said. “I urge all New Yorkers to be cautious of these platforms to protect their money.”
The risk hasn’t slowed their growth. Kalshi and Polymarket now dominate the market. At least a dozen other startups have jumped into the space, but they don’t come close in size.
Back in October, Polymarket locked in a $2 billion investment from the Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange. That deal made Shayne, the company’s founder, the youngest self-made billionaire on Bloomberg’s list at age 27. ICE will now distribute Polymarket’s data globally. It’s a massive partnership, especially for a company that just got back into the country.
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