Everybody should be united in the belief that problem gambling is an issue that needs to be taken seriously. It’s a real and serious addiction that can ruin lives. That doesn’t mean every group formed to stop it should go unchallenged.
The National Council on Problem Gambling is facing a credibility test that no longer looks like just a messaging spat. After the Ohio Casino Control Commission confirmed it cut ties in June, the national nonprofit now has regulators and state affiliates saying a two-year, $2 million Kalshi funding relationship bought too much proximity. The exits matter because they come from agencies that license gambling and police its harm, not from outside critics more naturally at odds with the NCPG.
Ohio Casino Control Commission Interim Executive Director Andromeda Morrison was rather direct:
“I regret this action is necessary but trust you will understand the Commission’s need to ensure that it is not associated with organizations that are affiliated with companies engaged in illegal gambling in Ohio.”
September is Responsible Gambling Month, which makes the contrast harder to ignore, at least symbolically. Operators like Kalshi point to their financial sponsorships as proof of care. People in recovery point to solicitous VIP emails that arrive the week they try to quit. Those two stories cannot share a press release without someone asking pointed, obvious questions. We do see responsible drinking ads from liquor brands and associations, but those typically result from laws requiring them.
How the Kalshi Check Triggered the Breaks
Kalshi’s May deal created a Financial Services & Trading membership lane alongside the $2 million pledge. Ohio had already fined Kalshi $5 million for unlicensed sports gaming. Morrison’s letter said unresolved consumer-protection fights clash with any group claiming responsible-gambling standards, and she asked the NCPG to strip affiliation references and keep commission staff off boards and off the conference circuit.
Michigan followed in July. Michigan Gaming Control Board Executive Director Henry Williams wrote that staying with the NCPG undercut state enforcement and treated sports contracts like a clean financial strategy. He argued that selling internet sports betting as a path to financial gain raises the risk of harmful play.
Nevada’s statewide problem-gambling council also left.
Massachusetts has not walked away just yet. A September 10 Massachusetts Gaming Commission packet shows staff recommending a short-term stay, while Chair Jordan Maynard warned the NCPG should expect its values to be tested at renewal, not assumed.
The Kalshi money has officially become a major issue for the NCPG.
Sponsorship Banners Versus Claimed Neutrality
The NCPG homepage still says the group is neutral on legalized gambling while trying to cut the social and economic cost of addiction. However, the more pertinent question is whether one or more of its major donors who profit from any form of wagering is similarly neutral. That argument may be hard to support.
The 2026 conference board makes that tension visible. NCPG Conference sponsor listings put Bally’s and FanDuel in the top tier, alongside DraftKings, Caesars, and other operators.
NCPG Executive Director Heather L. Maurer responded that her organization faces a real funding gap. The United States still has no dedicated federal stream for prevention, treatment, or research, even as legal gambling tax receipts keep rising. The council also published a note arguing that membership and donations do not equal endorsement. Numerous NGOs have used that defense in the past to explain controversial donations, to mixed results. It never quite settles matters.
State councils are asking the same question in less colorful language. Pennsylvania Council on Compulsive Gambling Executive Director Josh Ercole stated that the $2 million gift raised doubts about the national council’s standing.
The NCPG faces a real battle for survival. We’ll keep you updated.
References
- Gambling Insider — NCPG Needs to Reassess Its Industry Funding Model After Ohio’s Exit
- Legal Sports Report — Ohio Quietly Leaves NCPG Over Kalshi
- Legal Sports Report — Kalshi Partners With NCPG
- The Columbus Dispatch — Kalshi $5 million Ohio fine
- Legal Sports Report — Michigan Gaming Control Board Leaves NCPG
- Casino.org — Michigan Ends NCPG Membership
- CDC Gaming — Nevada Cites Kalshi Support in Leaving NCPG
- Legal Sports Report — Nevada Council Cuts Ties With NCPG
- Massachusetts Gaming Commission — Sept. 10, 2026 meeting materials
- National Council on Problem Gambling — home page
- NCPG Conference — sponsors
- NCPG — Membership and Donations Do Not Equal Endorsement
- CasinoBeats — Louis Ruggiero on NCPG industry funding
- CasinoBeats — Chris Swett interview
- The Gambling Truth Project
- Chris Swett — Writing from the Inside
- Gambling Insider — Kalshi Relationship Prompts Questions of NCPG Legitimacy
- YouTube — Nothing’s Off The Table with Louis Ruggiero
- YouTube — He Wagered $126 Million in 4 Years
- YouTube — He Lost Everything Gambling
