Key Takeaways
- NCPG Executive Director Heather Maurer resigned after less than nine months in the role.
- Programs director Jaime Costello left days earlier, but said her exit was not about Kalshi.
- Michigan and Ohio regulators and Aristocrat have stepped back from NCPG since the Kalshi donation.
Two Departures in Seven Days
The National Council on Problem Gambling’s (NCPG) board confirmed Maurer’s resignation over the weekend. It gave no reason, and she will stay on until Oct. 16, the organization told Covers.
“The need for NCPG’s work to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm has never been greater,” board president Derek Longmeier said in a statement. GamblingHarm.org had reported on Sept. 25, citing a source close to the organization, that the NCPG was preparing to replace her.
Maurer took over on Jan. 7, succeeding Keith Whyte, who had led the group for more than two decades. Months into her tenure, NCPG struck the deal with Kalshi that has been a cause of controversy: The prediction market donated $2 million and became the first member of a new “Financial Services & Trading” membership subcategory.
The money funds the NCPG’s Financial Trader Health and Safety Initiative, which covers public awareness, research and responsible-trading standards. Maurer co-signed the letter introducing it.
The partnership drew immediate pushback, because many of NCPG’s members are states fighting Kalshi in court over whether its sports contracts are illegal bets. The Michigan Gaming Control Board and the Ohio Casino Control Commission both withdrew their memberships upon learning of the news. The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling cut ties in August, and a problem gambling group in Washington State also left.
According to GamblingHarm.org, slot maker Aristocrat said last week it is “stepping back” from the NCPG over its “acceptance of substantial funding” from a prediction-market operator. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has also said it may not renew its membership.
Another Prominent Exit
Maurer’s exit follows that of director of programs Jaime Costello, who announced her resignation on Sept. 22. “Over the past year, the environment shifted in ways I could no longer reconcile with how I believe this work should be done,” she wrote on LinkedIn. In a follow-up post, she said her resignation was not because of Kalshi.
NCPG has defended the arrangement. In a Sept. 22 statement, Longmeier said the group considers prediction markets “functionally gambling,” whatever their legal status. “NCPG is neutral on whether prediction markets should be legal. We are not neutral on the need to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm wherever it occurs,” he said, adding that “donor engagement does not mean endorsement.”
Kalshi is not NCPG’s only industry funder: the NFL, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars are among its largest donors. NCPG said its programs will continue while it searches for Maurer’s successor.
