ARB Interactive Adopts Grocery Giveaway Playbook Used by Polymarket, Kalshi
ARB Interactive adopted the same grocery giveaway promotions used by Polymarket and Kalshi, hosting a pop-up in Indianapolis amid scrutiny of sweepstakes casinos nationwide.
ARB Interactive followed Polymarket and Kalshi, offering free groceries in Indianapolis. The company, which owns Modo Casino and Publishers Clearing House (PCH), said in a press release that it hosted a grocery relief pop-up on Feb. 10. It is also donating $10,000 to an Indianapolis food bank.
At the event, ARB gave more than 100 people $50 grocery gift cards to help “offset everyday household expenses amid rising costs.” CEO Patrick Fechtmeyer said the company wanted to “provide tangible relief.”
Copying Prediction Market Operators
ARB launched its grocery campaign after prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket announced similar promotions, mirroring a marketing tactic aimed at building goodwill and mainstream visibility.
Kalshi moved first. The company offered shoppers $50 worth of groceries during a three-hour event at a store in Manhattan’s East Village ahead of Polymarket’s own pop-up.
On Feb. 2, Polymarket announced it had secured a lease for a Manhattan location after working on the pop-up for several months. The store will run from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16, and anyone can enter. Customers do not need to make a purchase or register. Polymarket also pledged to donate $1 million to the Food Bank for NYC.
The concept echoes a proposal from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. During his run for office, Mamdani proposed opening city-run grocery stores. He argued that eliminating rent, buying wholesale, and cutting overhead taxes would lower prices. His campaign estimated that operating five stores would cost about $60 million per year.
ARB’s Attempts to Grow Through PCH
ARB Interactive has generated several headlines in recent months. In June 2025, the company won a bankruptcy auction to acquire Publishers Clearing House (PCH) assets for about $7.1 million.
The deal drew backlash after ARB said it would not honor certain prize obligations issued before July 2025, cutting off some long-time winners from promised or lifetime payments.
ARB now plans to modernize PCH with new digital features and games. In September, the company appointed Owen Donoghue as CEO of PCH to help lead the transformation.
It also unveiled a Prize Protection program that secures prize funds in FDIC-insured accounts and invests in investment-grade assets through a bank-managed investment vehicle.
ARB also plans to integrate the PCH platform with Modo Casino, which operates in more than 30 states and offers free-to-play slots and table games.
Ongoing Legal Debate
ARB’s core business, sweepstakes casino platform Modo Casino, remains controversial. Critics argue that some platforms operate as unlicensed gambling sites.
Litigation has accelerated nationwide, with more than 100 lawsuits filed against sweepstakes operators. That includes multiple open and closed cases involving ARB Gaming LLC across federal courts in Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Ohio, Utah, and Alabama.
Plaintiffs argue that these sites effectively offer real-money gambling. Users can often purchase virtual currency with real money and redeem tokens for cash or cash equivalents.
Regulatory pressure is also mounting at the state level. Six states moved to ban sweepstakes-style casinos in 2025. This year, at least a dozen more states introduced bills to either explicitly ban the platforms or revise gambling statutes, leaving sweepstakes casinos exposed to enforcement.
Additionally, gaming regulators across multiple states are targeting the platforms through cease-and-desist orders.
With grocery giveaways, high-profile acquisitions, and brand integrations underway, ARB Interactive continues to expand aggressively in the sweepstakes space. At the same time, regulators and courts are tightening scrutiny of the sector’s legal footing.
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