National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Executive Director Heather Maurer has resigned after less than a year in the role, the national non-profit told SBC Americas.
“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,” said NCPG Board of Directors President Derek Longmeier in an emailed statement Saturday. “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.”
The council has immediately begun a search for a replacement for Maurer, who stepped into the role last November as the replacement for former executive director Keith Whyte, who left in January 2025 after 27 years with the organization.
NCPG loses state members as result of Kalshi deal
The organization did not offer a reason for Maurer’s departure. The news comes amid upheaval at the organization related to its partnership with leading prediction markets operator Kalshi.
In May, NCPG announced a new multi-year partnership that includes a $2m investment by Kalshi into the non-profit. The council made Kalshi the first member of a new Financial Services & Trading Subcategory of membership and also added the company to its Leadership Circle. That deal attracted scrutiny from states and fellow NGOs.
Many of NCPG’s member states are engaged in litigation against Kalshi, alleging that the company offers a product equivalent to sports betting without a license to do so and that it allows users as young as 18 nationwide, while most states limit sports betting to those 21 or older.
Last week, the council issued a public statement in which it reiterated that it has a “neutral” stance on the legality of prediction markets and that membership or investment do not constitute endorsement.
“NCPG exists not to litigate whether prediction markets or other emerging activities meet a legal definition of gambling, but to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm wherever it occurs,” said Longmeier in a Sept. 22 statement.
NCPG member organizations from several states quit the council as a direct result of its work with Kalshi, including:
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Washington
Maurer follows Director of Programs out the door
The news of Maurer’s resignation comes on the heels of NCPG Director of Programs Jaime Costello announcing her resignation from the council last week.
“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,” wrote Costello in a LinkedIn post on Sept. 22. “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.”
Costello added that when she handed in her notice, she suggested a final working day of Oct. 9 and offered to support the transition, including staying on as a consultant. She wrote that her last day “came sooner than I had planned, not by my choice.”
NCPG lost 1-800-GAMBLER last year
Maurer’s exit also comes after NCPG lost the rights to use the 1-800-GAMBLER national gambling support hotline number.
In September 2025, a New Jersey court told the NCPG to cease using 1-800-GAMBLER after the council could not agree on a new licensing deal with the hotline’s owner, the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ). The CCGNJ previously ran the 1-800-GAMBLER service solo from 1983 until 2022, at which point it licensed it to the NCPG in a three-year agreement that ended in May 2025.
Under Maurer, the NCPG subsequently set up a new service, 1-800-MY-RESET, as a similar 24-hour resource across the country.
The CCGNJ continues to run 1-800-GAMBLER, but the NCPG’s public position is that its MY-RESET number should be considered the “national problem gambling helpline.”
