By Hannah Erin Lang

Free produce, toilet paper and pasta sauce--all brought to you by your local prediction-markets platform.

That's the idea behind Polymarket's free grocery-store pop-up, which opened to the public in lower Manhattan on Thursday. Half brand-awareness stunt, half philanthropic initiative, the event is paired with a $1 million donation to Food Bank for New York City and guaranteed a free-of-charge shopping trip to the first 300 people waiting in line, with more events planned for this weekend.

Roughly two hours before the doors opened, the line was already down the block.

"Everybody needs a helping hand right now," said Tori Hall, a Queens resident. Hall and her friends were first in line, having staked out a spot around 6 a.m. "We appreciate them," she said.

Hall, 58, said she was hoping to stock up on pricey staples like spices and cooking oil, plus some extra goods she planned to take to a disabled relative.

Polymarket's pop-up follows a similar stunt by competitor Kalshi, which earlier this month gave shoppers $50 worth of groceries at a store near New York University.

In December, Polymarket said it would relaunch in the U.S. and roll out its app to some traders on its waitlist. The platform has been the subject of scrutiny from regulators, federal prosecutors and investor advocates.

The prediction-market business has exploded in the past year. Trading volumes at Polymarket and Kalshi reached a record $4.8 billion last week, according to analysts at Piper Sandler, juiced by bets on the Super Bowl.

Milla Jackson, a Brooklyn resident who waited in line for several hours for the Polymarket opening, said she hadn't heard of the prediction-markets company before the event. Trading stocks, options or event contracts isn't something she dabbles in.

"But the way things are going, I'm going to start looking into it," the 45-year old said.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 12, 2026 18:34 ET (23:34 GMT)

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