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Prediction market rivals Polymarket and Kalshi stage dueling NYC stunts
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 3, 2026
Modified Feb 3, 2026
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By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 3, 2026
Modified Feb 3, 2026
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Rival gambling sites Kalshi and Polymarket say they’re offering New Yorkers free groceries for a limited time this month in an apparent nod to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign promise to deliver more city-run grocery stores.
Mamdani’s contentious campaign promise elicited both praise and criticism from his political opponents, progressives and even local grocery store owners. But, as Gothamist previously reported, New York already has a similar iteration of city-owned grocery stores overseen by the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
On Monday, Kalshi announced that it would cover $50 worth of groceries for New Yorkers who headed to the West Side Market in Manhattan’s East Village between noon and 3 p.m. the following day. Nearly 2,000 people RSVP’d to the advertised event on Partiful, while photos posted to social media depict lines spanning several blocks.
"[Our] goal is to educate the general public about prediction markets forecast around the economy and help New Yorkers combat rising grocery costs," Kalshi spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said.
By Tuesday afternoon, Polymarket had announced that it, too, would be entering the grocery game. The prediction market said that after “months of planning” — including the purported signing of a lease and construction — it would be opening a free grocery market from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16.
Polymarket declined to comment on where the store would be located. But the gambling site did say that it is also donating $1 million to Food Banks for NYC.
A Polymarket spokesperson said founder and CEO Shayne Coplan helped launch the project as a “reinvestment” into the New York City community.
The free grocery stunts from the gambling sites come as a newly introduced bill in Albany could establish more regulations for prediction markets. And New York Attorney General Letitia James put out a warning ahead of the Super Bowl on the dangers of sports betting sites.
“I'm also warning the prediction market industry that unlicensed sports wagering violates New York’s laws and could face civil and criminal liability,” James said in a statement. “My office will always defend New Yorkers and enforce the laws of our state.”
An estimated 1.2 million people in New York City are classified as food insecure, and the city’s poverty rate is twice the national average, according to the most recently reported city data. And more than a third of adults in New York City live in a household that is at risk for food insecurity.
City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story has been updated with a statement from Kalshi.
Tagged
Politics
economy
new york city
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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