"About an hour into my wait for Kalshi's free groceries event, I could no longer feel my toes. It was 30° in New York with a fierce windchill, and I was in line for $50 in free groceries from a betting site. My neighbor in line kept wiping away tears. In the ultra-expensive New York, cheap groceries are hard to come by. My last bill at the Lidl in Park Slope - the most affordable grocery store in my neighborhood - was over $70."
"I could understand why New Yorkers bundled up at the prospect of $50 in grocery credit and waited for hours. And hours. The prediction market is in grocery-off with Polymarket. Kalshi promised "open markets" at Westside Market - so long as you spent under $50. With my teeth chattering, I chatted with my line-mates. Almost nobody I spoke to had heard of Kalshi. Nobody cared. They just wanted free food."
An event offered $50 to spend at New York's Westside Market, where prices were high. Hundreds of people lined up in 30° weather with fierce windchill, waiting almost two hours. Many attendees appeared unfamiliar with Kalshi or prediction markets and focused on obtaining free groceries. Cheap groceries are scarce in expensive neighborhoods; comparable grocery bills exceeded $70 at the affordable local Lidl. Kalshi positioned the promotion as competing with Polymarket, promising "open markets" at Westside Market for purchases under $50. The marketing stunt successfully drew large crowds despite cold conditions.
Read at Business Insider
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