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A prediction market company best known for allowing users to bet on world events is stepping into New York City’s food scene — if only briefly — with the launch of what it’s calling the city’s first-ever free grocery store.
Polymarket will be open for New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan starting at 12PM from Feb. 12 through Feb. 16, according to the NYC for Free website. It’s being described as the city’s first free grocery store, “fully stocked” and requiring no purchase.
Polymarket posted on X, Tuesday, that the idea took “months of planning.” In addition to paying for the lease, the company said it donated $1 million to Food Bank For New York City to support “an organization that changes how our city responds to hunger.”
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Daily hours and the grocery store’s closing date are subject to change, according to the website.
Photos on social media show the market offering a variety of food staples — from produce, milk, eggs and bread to brand-name snacks such as Pringles, Sour Patch Kids and Oreo cookies.
Polymarket did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on why it is opening what it calls the city’s first free grocery store.
The announcement comes just days after rival Kalshi made a similar move, when owner George Zoitas gave hundreds of shoppers at Westside Market in the East Village $50 each toward their groceries.
The bold marketing tactics by both Polymarket and Kalshi may be seen as a nod to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pledge to open government-run grocery stores. Mamdani told Fox News Digital during his campaign that it will be possible for a “partnership” between the city and grocery store and bodega owners, despite his plan to open five city-run stores.
Mamdani appeared to poke fun at the announcement in an X post on Wednesday afternoon, replying directly to Polymarket’s post with a photo of a satirical headline that read, “Heartbreaking: The worst person you know just made a great point.”
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