Here’s the Dish on Why Prediction Markets Are Giving Away Free Groceries in NYC

Posted on: February 4, 2026, 07:53h. 

Last updated on: February 4, 2026, 07:53h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Kalshi and Polymarket are handing out free groceries in New York City
  • The prediction markets are trying to win over public opinion in the nation’s largest city

Kalshi and Polymarket are the two prediction markets that garner the most media coverage. Their latest stunts in New York City are only generating more attention.

prediction market groceries New York City
Shoppers at the Westside Market in Manhattan’s East Village received free $50 gift cards from Kalshi on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Prediction market rival Polymarket is readying a free grocery store in New York City. (Image: Kalshi)

On Tuesday, Kalshi paid $50 in groceries for every customer at the Westside Market at 3rd Avenue and E. 12th Street in Manhattan’s East Village. The promotion ran from 12 noon until 3 pm at 83 3rd Ave.

Your $50 grocery tab is on Kalshi,” the prediction market posted on X.

Not to be outdone, rival Polymarket announced that it would be opening a free grocery store somewhere in NYC next week. While the physical location has not yet been made public, Polymarket said it will open on Thursday, Feb 12, at noon.

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,” read a Polymarket release.

The Polymarket grocery store isn’t permanent but a five-day “pop-up.” It’s being billed as New York’s “first free grocery market.”

The Food Bank for New York City confirmed a $1 million donation from Polymarket. That’s in addition to the free groceries that will be handed out at the Polymarket store next week.

Polymarket and Kalshi took jabs at one another over which PM was first to think up the idea of handing out groceries. Polymarket says its brick-and-mortar pop-up has been in the works “for months,” leading to a lease signing and a “real physical investment in our community” compared to Kalshi simply handing out $50 gift cards. Kalshi countered, saying it’s been considering the idea “for years.” 

Sweetening Reputations 

Kalshi, the nation’s leading prediction market, and Polymarket, which is prepping its US return, including in New York, are both seemingly trying to improve their brand images by integrating into the communities where they operate.

Prediction markets continue to face heavy scrutiny for offering controversial trading contracts on politics and sports. Just this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned New Yorkers about placing Super Bowl bets, ahem, trades, on prediction markets.

Saying there are “significant risks with unregulated prediction markets,” James urged New Yorkers “to be cautious of these platforms to protect their money.” Prediction markets are regulated, though opponents of the platforms say the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is ill-equipped to monitor the vast contracts involving sports.

With state lawmakers, attorneys general, and gaming regulators largely opposed to prediction markets offering sports trades on the claim that such operations constitute illegal sports gambling, Kalshi and Polymarket are sweetening the pot with free groceries to win over the public’s opinion.

Mayor’s Grocery Pledge

A key campaign talking point of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) 2025 campaign was that the city would operate five grocery stores, with one in each borough.

Traders on Polymarket give just an 18% chance of Mamdani opening a city-owned grocery store by June 30. However, the odds on Kalshi that a NYC-owned grocery store will open before 2028 are much higher, with an implied chance of 63%.