Polymarket is moving beyond screens and apps and into the real world with the launch of a free grocery store in New York City. The crypto-based prediction market platform announced the initiative on Feb. 3, pairing the pop-up store with a $1 million donation aimed at addressing food insecurity across the city.
The project marks an unusual move for a digital-native company and places Polymarket directly into an ongoing social and policy conversation in New York. The company said the store will operate independently of any trading activity, signaling a deliberate shift from markets and probabilities to direct community engagement.
The pop-up, called “The Polymarket,” is scheduled to open on Feb. 12 at noon ET. Groceries will be offered entirely free of charge, with no purchase, sign-up, or participation requirement. Polymarket said the store will be open to all New Yorkers, though the exact location has not yet been disclosed.
According to the company, the space will be fully stocked and designed to prioritize access rather than retail transactions. Crypto.news reported, citing sources familiar with the project, that the store is expected to operate for a limited time, likely spanning several days around its opening weekend.
Alongside the store launch, Polymarket confirmed a $1 million donation to Food Bank For New York City. The nonprofit works across all five boroughs through a network of community organizations, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Food Bank For New York City said the funds will be used to expand food access and support longer-term food security programs.
Polymarket has encouraged members of the public to also support the organization, framing the grocery store as part of a broader effort rather than a one-off campaign. The company emphasized that the initiative is focused on addressing food insecurity and is not intended to function like a traditional commercial grocery store.
The timing of the project comes amid rising competition among US-based prediction market platforms. Rival Kalshi recently ran a smaller free grocery giveaway in New York, drawing comparisons between the two efforts. Polymarket’s initiative, however, represents a more visible and sustained presence in both scale and branding.
The move also carries symbolic weight in the local political context. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has previously floated the idea of city-run grocery stores, and Polymarket currently hosts active markets tied to whether such stores will open in New York by mid-2026.
The grocery store launch follows a busy period for Polymarket. In late January, the company announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer, becoming the league’s official prediction market partner. On Feb. 2, Polymarket also integrated with decentralized exchange aggregator Jupiter, allowing users to access prediction markets directly on Solana.
While the pop-up store itself is not connected to trading activity, it places Polymarket squarely in the public spotlight at a time when both competition and regulatory scrutiny around prediction markets continue to intensify.