The dueling ‘free grocery’ stunts from Polymarket and Kalshi in NYC

• Both Polymarket and Kalshi announced free grocery stunts in NYC.
• Kalshi launched a $50 grocery giveaway at an East Village grocery store on Tuesday.
• Polymarket says it’s doing its own pop-up, calling it “New York’s first free grocery market,” for 5 days starting Feb. 12 at noon.

Free groceries, courtesy of your favorite prediction market.

That’s the stunt that both Kalshi and Polymarket are attempting to pull off in New York City, in an apparent nod to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to open city-run grocery stores.

Kalshi’s offering arrived first, offering shoppers up to $50 worth of free groceries at Westside Market, a grocery store in Manhattan’s East Village on Tuesday.

Business Insider attended the event and found a long line.

The promotion runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET at Westside Market on 84 3rd Ave.

But Polymarket says it’s going even bigger, opening its own grocery store in the city next week — “New York’s first free grocery store” — for a limited time.

“The Polymarket is fully stocked. No purchase required. We’re open to all New Yorkers,” the company said. “Free groceries. Free markets. Built for the people who power New York. We’ll see you at The Polymarket’s grand opening next week.”

The address has yet to be announced by the company, but Polymarket says the store will be open from Thursday, February 12 at noon until Sunday, February 15.

The prediction market also says it donated $1 million to Food Bank for New York City.

“The activation is the result of months of planning — from securing permits and building out a dedicated retail space to coordinating logistics and nonprofit partnerships — and represents a direct investment in the city where Polymarket was founded and scaled,” reads a release from the prediction market platform.

Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in popularity over the last year and a half, and the giveaways are likely to raise the companies’ profiles and brand recognition even further.

Both prediction markets have moved to partner with media organizations. Polymarket partnered with the Golden Globes and Dow Jones, while Kalshi has struck deals with CNN and CNBC.

Prediction markets have also faced greater scrutiny from lawmakers, especially after an anonymous Polymarket trader made hundreds of thousands of dollars off a well-timed bet on former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s political future, sparking concerns about insider trading.

That’s led some prediction markets to push back, with Kalshi emphasizing that it has rules against insider trading and supports efforts to regulate the practice.

Update, February 3, 2026 — This story has been updated to clarify Food Bank of New York’s involvement with the Polymarket initiative.