National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Executive Director Heather Maurer is the latest staffer to leave the organization. Maurer, who joined the NCPG in January, is the second staff member to announce she is leaving in last two weeks. The Closing Line was the first to report the news.
Since agreeing to take prediction market Kalshi on as a member in May, the organization has also lost at least four state regulators as members — Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, and Washington have all pulled out of the organization in the last several months. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission discussed the status of its membership earlier this month and voted Sept. 10 to stay with the organization, but left the door open to revisit the question.
The NCPG created a new subcategory for prediction market members — the “Financial Services & Trading Subcategory” — and Kalshi paid $2 million for a two-year membership to join as a “Platinum Member.” At the time Kalshi joined, the NCPG characterized the prediction market’s offerings as “novel,” but not gambling products.
Per the NCPG website, the highest-paying gambling companies are those listed as Platinum Members, paying up to $15,000 in annual dues. Among those members are BetMGM and MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting & Gaming, FanDuel, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), Penn Entertainment, and Rush Street Gaming. All of those companies except LVS offer legal online gambling in the U.S. DraftKings, Fanatics, and FanDuel also offer prediction products.
Regulators from the four states that exited the NCPG all cited the decision to take Kalshi as a member.
NCPG: Mission is to reduce gambling harm
NCPG President of the Board of Directors Derek Longmeier last Tuesday released a statement in which he reiterated that organization is neutral about whether or not prediction markets should be legal, but views them as “functionally gambling.” He went on to say that the verticals “can expose consumers to many of the same risks and harms associated with traditional gambling. … We are not neutral on the need to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm wherever it occurs.”
With regard to Maurer’s resignation, Longmeier provided the following statement to The Closing Line Saturday: “With the dedicated commitment and depth of experience of the NCPG staff, we assure all of our advocacy, programs, and services will carry on seamlessly during the search process. The need for NCPG’s work to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm has never been greater, and we will continue to build on the strength of our partnerships with affiliates, members, and stakeholders to meet the challenges ahead.”
Maurer will stay in her position until Oct. 16, while Director of Programs Jaime Costello wrote on LinkedIn Wednesday that she gave her notice this month with an end date of Oct. 9, but that her “last day came sooner than I had planned, not by my choice.” She went on to write that “I made this decision because, over the past year, the environment shifted in ways I could no longer reconcile with how I believe this work should be done. Leaving is how I stay true to the reasons I got into it: doing good, building something alongside people I trust, and ending the day knowing I contributed to something that matters.”
Maurer joined the NCPG after nearly six years as the executive officer for the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health and more than 12 years in public health. The NCPG said it will begin its search for a new executive director immediately.
