Polymarket returns to the U.S. with a free grocery store

Polymarket opened a temporary free grocery store in Greenwich Village and has relaunched a U.S. beta after acquiring QCEX and receiving federal regulatory approval; the company and rival Kalshi face state legal challenges over whether event contracts amount to gambling.

Polymarket opened a temporary free grocery store in Greenwich Village that served shoppers through Sunday evening. The event coincides with the company's return to the U.S. market after several years away. Regulators fined Polymarket in 2022 and required it to block U.S. users, and the firm later pursued regulatory and corporate steps to re-enter. Polymarket acquired QCEX and received federal regulatory approval, then began a gradual beta rollout of a U.S. app via a waitlist. Key details: - The grocery store was a temporary event in Greenwich Village and operated through 7 p.m. on Sunday. - In 2022 the Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined Polymarket $1.4 million and required the company to block U.S. users. - In July 2025 Polymarket purchased QCEX for $112 million, and the firm later received federal regulatory approval in November. - Polymarket has relaunched a U.S. beta app and is admitting users from a waitlist while not disclosing current user numbers. - Polymarket and rival Kalshi face state-level legal challenges in places including Nevada, New York and New Jersey over whether trading event contracts on sports constitutes gambling; Massachusetts recently won an injunction against Kalshi that temporarily barred sports-related contracts in that state. - Kalshi's CEO estimated the firm handled more than $1 billion in Super Bowl trades, including about $100 million on which song Bad Bunny would perform first. Summary: Polymarket's public event and app relaunch mark its re-entry into the U.S. after prior regulatory enforcement and offshore operation. The company has filed a lawsuit challenging state enforcement in Massachusetts, and related court proceedings and regulatory reviews are pending.