Kalshi's $2 million gift cost the largest US problem-gambling nonprofit its director and four state partners
Heather Maurer resigned as head of the National Council on Problem Gambling in September after backlash over its $2 million deal with Kalshi. So far the council has paid for the deal, losing four state partners by Fortune's count, over a sum that is tiny next to Kalshi's valuation.
The Investor · Invest desk
Exposure map. NCPG: four state partners cut ties July to September, all citing the Kalshi donation. NCPG executive director: resigned in late September after backlash over the $2 million. Michigan and Ohio: two of the four that left are state regulators. Kalshi: agreed to no public safeguards.
- What it costs cost NCPG Four state partners cut ties between July and September, all citing the Kalshi donation, claim 6
- What it costs cost NCPG executive director Resigned in late September after backlash over taking $2 million from Kalshi, claim 2
- Who has to decide decision Michigan and Ohio regulators Two of the four bodies that cut ties over the donation are state regulators, claim 23
- What doesn't add up contradiction Kalshi Agreed to no public safeguards, while state-regulated sportsbooks routinely display helplines, claim 16
| Who | How | Kind | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCPG | Four state partners cut ties between July and September, all citing the Kalshi donation | cost | 6 |
| NCPG executive director | Resigned in late September after backlash over taking $2 million from Kalshi | cost | 2 |
| Michigan and Ohio regulators | Two of the four bodies that cut ties over the donation are state regulators | decision | 23 |
| Kalshi | Agreed to no public safeguards, while state-regulated sportsbooks routinely display helplines | contradiction | 16 |
What happened
- Maurer, in the job since January, finalized the agreement without board approval and had directors sign nondisclosure agreements before it was revealed at an April conference, Barron's reported.
- Asked whether Kalshi had agreed to fund safety guardrails or promote addiction helplines, Maurer acknowledged to directors that it had not, according to Barron's.
- Michigan's Gaming Control Board, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, Washington's Evergreen Council and Ohio's Casino Control Commission cut ties with the council between July and September.
- Jaime Costello, the council's director of programs, resigned over differences with its leadership days before Maurer stepped down.
Why it matters
- What it costs cost The nonprofit has absorbed the deal's cost in state partners and senior staff, while the reports show Kalshi paying nothing beyond the $2 million.
- Who's exposed exposure With two state gaming regulators among the objectors, the NCPG category that filed Kalshi apart from sportsbooks is now weaker support for its claim that it does not run a gambling business.
- Who has to decide decision The council's next executive director has to choose between keeping the donor category built around Kalshi and repairing ties with the state groups that left over it.
- What it sets up precedent The next problem-gambling group Kalshi approaches can cite this episode as grounds to demand helplines or guardrails before it takes any money.
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Problem-gambling groups take money from betting companies routinely. DraftKings said in March 2025 that it had given more than $2 million to state councils and NCPG affiliates since 2022, and FanDuel gave the national council $100,000 directly in March 2023 [14][15]. Kalshi's one payment was 20 times FanDuel's, and roughly what DraftKings had spread across the whole network since 2022 [22][14].
The terms were the unusual part. Kalshi rejects the idea that its business is gambling, and to accommodate that the council created a separate "financial services and trading" donor category, setting it apart from DraftKings and FanDuel, according to Barron's [8]. Kalshi became the first Platinum member of that category [4]. State-regulated sportsbooks must follow harm-reduction rules and routinely display extra helplines, while Kalshi agreed to no public safeguards, Fortune reported [16].
I think the category was what Kalshi was paying for. State gaming authorities contest its claim to sit inside the financial-markets framework, particularly for sports contracts, and Fortune reported that most activity on Kalshi and Polymarket centers on sports wagers [9][20]. A separate heading from the country's largest problem-gambling nonprofit is useful in that fight. It came cheap: $2 million is at most 0.01% of a valuation Fortune puts above $20 billion [2][17][21].
The cost landed on the council. Washington's Evergreen Council, ending a 35-year affiliation, said the two groups were "no longer sufficiently aligned," and all four departing bodies said they disagreed with the decision to accept Kalshi's donation [7][6]. "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," Costello wrote on LinkedIn [12].
One reading is that Kalshi bought a label cheaply and the council's losses stay the council's problem. A second puts the whole episode down to governance: Barron's described the board NDAs as unprecedented for the organization, and Crypto Briefing wrote that the governance questions "may prove stickier than the money itself" [10][24]. The third, and the one I hold, is that the departures attach to the label. Two of the four bodies that left, Michigan's Gaming Control Board and Ohio's Casino Control Commission, are state regulators, and the objection they stated was to the donation [23][6].
Council president Nathan Smith Longmeier has said the NCPG takes a neutral position on whether prediction markets are legal and remains committed to preventing gambling-related harm [19]. This view is wrong if the departures stop at four and no regulator connects the donation to Kalshi's classification. In that case the sector's regulatory risk is the same dispute with states and tribes over authority that it already had [18].
What to watch
- Whether the NCPG's next executive director keeps the Kalshi agreement and the Financial Services & Trading category or unwinds them.
- Whether more state problem-gambling councils or gaming regulators follow Michigan, Nevada, Washington and Ohio out of the national group.
- Whether Kalshi commits to funding safety guardrails or promoting addiction helplines, the commitments Maurer acknowledged it had not made.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives65
- Confidence60
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Heather Maurer resigned as executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling on September 26, 2026, according to a Barron's report cited by Fortune.
- [2]
The National Council on Problem Gambling is the nation's largest nonprofit dedicated to combating gambling addiction; its executive director resigned in late September after backlash over taking $2 million from Kalshi.
- [3]
Heather Maurer, who took the helm in January, finalized the Kalshi agreement without prior board approval and required directors to sign unprecedented nondisclosure agreements before revealing the donation at an April conference.
- [4]
Kalshi became the first Platinum member of a newly created Financial Services & Trading membership category within the council.
- [5]
When directors pressed Maurer on whether Kalshi had agreed to fund safety guardrails or promote addiction helplines, she acknowledged it had not.
- [6]
Washington's Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling ended its 35-year affiliation with the NCPG in September; the Ohio Casino Control Commission withdrew that month; the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling reportedly cut ties in August, as did the Michigan Gaming Control Board in July. All four said they disagreed with the NCPG's decision to accept a donation from Kalshi.
- [7]
Washington's Evergreen Council concluded that the two organizations were "no longer sufficiently aligned."
- [8]
Kalshi rejected the idea that its business was gambling; to accommodate that position, the NCPG created a separate "financial services and trading" donor category, setting Kalshi apart from sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel.
- [9]
Kalshi positions its event contracts within the broader financial market framework; state gaming authorities have contested this classification, particularly regarding sports-related contracts.
- [10]
Barron's described the nondisclosure agreements required of board directors as unprecedented for the organization.
- [11]
The NCPG publicly announced the $2 million funding agreement in May 2026, framed as support for a health and safety initiative.
- [12]
"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," Costello wrote in a LinkedIn post.
- [13]
Jaime Costello, the NCPG's director of programs, resigned over differences with the organization's leadership just days before Maurer's resignation.
- [14]
DraftKings had provided more than $2 million to state problem-gambling councils and NCPG affiliates since 2022, according to a March 2025 company announcement.
- [15]
FanDuel donated $100,000 directly to the NCPG during Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March 2023.
- [16]
State-regulated sportsbooks must follow rules designed to reduce gambling harm and routinely display additional helplines, but Kalshi agreed to no public safeguards.
- [17]
Kalshi and Polymarket have each reached valuations above $20 billion.
- [18]
Prediction-market growth has fueled disputes with states and Native American tribes over regulatory authority, and scrutiny from sports leagues and addiction advocates.
- [19]
NCPG president Nathan Smith Longmeier said the organization takes a neutral position on whether prediction markets are legal and remains committed to preventing gambling-related harm.
- [20]
Kalshi and Polymarket let users as young as 18 trade contracts on virtually anything, though most activity centers on sports wagers.
- [21]
Kalshi's $2 million donation is at most 0.01% of its reported valuation of more than $20 billion.
- [22]
Kalshi's $2 million donation was 20 times FanDuel's $100,000 donation to the NCPG.
- [23]
Two of the four bodies that cut ties with the NCPG over the Kalshi donation are state regulators: the Michigan Gaming Control Board and the Ohio Casino Control Commission.
- [24]
The governance questions may prove stickier than the money itself.
Sources
2 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- cryptobriefing.comProblem gambling council chief resigns after Kalshi donation controversy
1 article · October 9, 2026
- fortune.comHead of prominent gambling addiction nonprofit resigns over $2 million donation from Kalshi
1 article · October 9, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Prediction Markets
- Nonprofit governance
- Problem gambling
Entities
- Nevada Council on Problem Gambling
- Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling
- Ohio Casino Control Commission
- DraftKings
- Nathan Smith Longmeier
- National Council on Problem Gambling
- Polymarket
- Michigan Gaming Control Board
- FanDuel
- Kalshi