Polymarket, Kalshi clash over groceries as prediction markets boom

Two leading prediction market platforms, Polymarket and Kalshi, have both turned to giving away groceries amid a fight for dominance in the fast-growing prediction markets space.

Kalshi offered a $50 grocery giveaway to over 1,000 people in Manhattan on Tuesday, while competitor Polymarket announced plans to open a free grocery store starting next week.

Kalshi and Polymarket have led the pack in prediction market trading volumes, which are now consistently above $400 million daily, representing about a fourfold increase from this time last year.

Kalshi banked $263.5 million from fee revenue alone in 2025, while both platforms have been marked at multibillion-dollar valuations on the back of major integrations.

The Kalshi promotion was offered at the Westside Market at 84 3rd Ave. in Manhattan between 12 pm and 3 pm local time on Tuesday, with videos on social media showing the lines stretching for multiple blocks.

According to Kalshi’s guest list, 1,795 people signed up to receive free groceries, while mainstream media reported that “thousands” attended.

Polymarket to launch “The Polymarket”

Polymarket said on Tuesday that it signed a lease to open “New York’s first free grocery store” while also donating $1 million to Food Bank for NYC to assist those with limited access to food across all five NY boroughs.

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Polymarket said “The Polymarket” grocery store has been in the works for months, and will be fully stocked when it launches next Thursday at 12 pm local time.

Source: Polymarket

Both platforms have been pushing hard with media partnerships recently, with Polymarket teaming up with Dow Jones in January and Kalshi partnering with mainstream media outlets CNN and CNBC in December.

Polymarket recently launched a campaign featuring billboards designed to be vandalized, while Kalshi has been using digital billboards to display odds for various markets.

Prediction market platforms have been banned from advertising during the Super Bowl set for Feb. 8.

Kalshi gives out free groceries to thousands of New Yorkers https://t.co/62BO68KbuZ pic.twitter.com/rBnSAqWdBg

Both Polymarket and Kalshi are based in NYC, where the grocery initiatives are taking place.

NYC is widely considered the financial capital of the world, being home to Wall Street, where both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are based.

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