The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is requesting prediction markets to promote its new problem gambling helpline amid the growing popularity of event contracts.
The NCPG published a notice on Monday stating that its board of directors has called upon all prediction market operators that accept customers in the U.S. to promote 1-800-MY-RESET. That number is the council’s new National Problem Gambling Helpline, which operates 24/7 to receive calls nationwide.
The council asked platforms to provide clear and concise messaging to promote its problem gambling helpline, and wants prediction markets to take the same steps in promoting responsible gaming resources as licensed online sportsbooks.
“Prediction markets have proliferated at an outstanding rate and, so far, there are minimal regulations and safeguards to protect consumers, despite carrying substantially similar levels of risk as traditional sports betting,” said the NCPG in a statement to SBC Americas.
“All operators offering gambling-like products should take meaningful, visible steps to reduce harm and promote access to support and recovery resources as a public health best practice. This starts with including the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-MY-RESET) in their marketing and platforms.”
NCPG notes the similarity of event contracts to gambling
The NCPG wants prediction markets to embrace its problem gambling helpline and other resources, as the council believes event contract trading exposes consumers to the same risks associated with sports betting, such as “chasing losses, impulsive behavior, financial harm and the development or escalation of gambling-related harm.”
The NCPG suggested that prediction market users may be less likely to seek out responsible gambling resources as event contracts are often labeled as trading rather than the state-regulated gambling offered by licensed sportsbooks across America.
As well as leading marketplaces like Kalshi, Crypto.com and Polymarket, numerous gaming operators including DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, PrizePicks, Underdog and Sleeper have entered the prediction market space since the latter months of 2025, either through partnerships or registration with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as designated contract markets (DCMs), futures commission merchants (FCMs) or introducing brokers (IBs).
SBC Americas reached out to prediction market operators and the Coalition for Prediction Markets for comment. Kalshi did not comment directly on the NCPG statement, but did note that it works with Birches Health to provide confidential, specialized treatment for addiction and compulsive behavior.
Multiple national problem gambling numbers
The NCPG debuted 1-800-MY-RESET last month as its new trademarked national problem gambling helpline after a New Jersey court ordered the council to no longer use 1-800-GAMBLER after a deal to license that service from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) expired.
Before licensing the service to the NCPG, the CCGNJ ran 1-800-GAMBLER from 1983 until 2022, and the New Jersey council’s number is still in operation across the U.S. So too is 1-800-522-4700, the old national problem gambling number that the NCPG resurrected in the wake of that court decision. NCPG currently operates both that number and 1-800-MY-RESET.
Several state-regulated gaming operators told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission last month that having multiple numbers confuses the issue and risks obstructing people’s attempts to get help.
