Crypto.com Launches OG to Take On the Prediction Market Boom
The launch comes during a time of rapid growth in prediction market activity, with volumes rising sharply and major players including Polymarket, Kalshi, Coinbase, and others vying for market share through new platforms, partnerships, and high-profile promotions. Polymarket and Kalshi, the current volume leaders, escalated their rivalry with public grocery giveaways in New York, while the broader industry has grown from under $100 million in monthly volume in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by the end of 2025.
Crypto.com Expands US Prediction Market Push
Crypto.com spun out its prediction markets business into a standalone platform called OG. The new platform, which was first launched internally in 2024, is now operating as an independent brand backed by Crypto.com’s regulated derivatives infrastructure and is currently available exclusively to users in the United States.
OG is powered by Crypto.com Derivatives North America, which is a Commodity Futures Trading Commission-registered exchange and clearinghouse affiliated with Crypto.com. By anchoring the platform in an existing regulatory framework, the company is positioning OG as a compliant alternative to both crypto-native and traditional prediction market operators.
Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, said the decision to launch OG as a standalone product was driven by explosive demand. According to Marszalek, the firm’s prediction market activity has grown roughly 40-fold on a weekly basis over the past six months, which is a pace that he said justified a dedicated platform and leadership team. Crypto.com initially entered the space in December of 2024 with a sports event trading product aimed at US users, laying the groundwork for what would later become OG.
Leadership of the new platform has been handed to Nick Lundgren, Crypto.com’s chief legal officer, who now serves as CEO of OG. Lundgren described prediction markets as a “deca-billion dollar industry,” due to the scale of the opportunity and the intensifying competition.
OG enters a very crowded field that already includes established players like Polymarket and Kalshi, as well as new entrants backed by major crypto and financial firms. In late January, Coinbase launched its own US-focused prediction market offering through a partnership with Kalshi, while decentralized exchange Hyperliquid also has plans to expand into event-based trading.
The timing of OG’s debut aligns with a broader surge in prediction market adoption across both crypto and traditional finance. Once considered a niche betting product, prediction markets are now being explored by Wall Street firms as tools for price discovery, risk management, and forecasting across politics, economics, and sports. Industry data suggests the sector expanded at a dramatic pace, with monthly volumes growing from under $100 million in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by the end of 2025.
Polymarket and Kalshi Take Prediction War to Grocery Aisles
Two of the largest players in the prediction markets industry, Polymarket and Kalshi, are escalating their rivalry beyond trading volumes and media partnerships by offering something far more tangible to the public: free groceries. The unusual marketing push comes as both platforms are fighting for dominance in a sector that expanded very quickly over the past year.
On Tuesday, Kalshi distributed $50 worth of free groceries to more than 1,000 people in Manhattan as part of a promotional event held at the Westside Market on Third Avenue. The giveaway ran for three hours and drew long lines that stretched for multiple city blocks, according to videos circulating on social media. Kalshi’s own guest list showed that 1,795 people registered for the promotion, while mainstream media reports estimated that thousands attended.
(Source: Kalshi)
Polymarket quickly responded with an even more ambitious announcement. The company revealed plans to open what it described as New York’s first free grocery store, branded “The Polymarket,” which is set to launch next week.
Alongside the announcement, Polymarket said it donated $1 million to Food Bank for NYC to support food access initiatives across all five boroughs. The company said the grocery store project had been in development for months and will be fully stocked when it opens.
The grocery giveaways come as prediction market activity continues to surge. Daily trading volumes across leading platforms are now consistently exceeding $400 million, which is four times higher than this time last year. Kalshi alone generated $263.5 million in fee revenue during 2025, while both companies have achieved multibillion-dollar valuations, supported in part by high-profile partnerships and integrations.
Beyond street-level promotions, both firms also leaned heavily into media exposure. Polymarket partnered with Dow Jones earlier this year, while Kalshi secured partnerships with CNN and CNBC in late 2025.
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