The National Council on Problem Gambling has confirmed the resignation of executive director Heather Maurer and begun a search for her successor, putting the nonprofit on course to appoint its third leader in less than two years.
The council said its staff would continue its advocacy, programmes and services during the search. Board President Derek Longmeier said the need for work to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm “has never been greater.”
GamblingHarm.org first reported on Sept. 25 that Maurer was expected to leave, citing a source close to the organisation. The NCPG board announced her resignation the following day. NCPG did not respond to a request for comment.
Maurer joined NCPG in January, succeeding Keith Whyte, who had led the group for about two decades before becoming FanDuel’s responsible-gaming strategic adviser. NCPG had described the recruitment that brought Maurer in as a highly competitive search. Before joining the council, she spent nearly six years as chief executive of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health and had previously led the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education.
The departure follows months of criticism over NCPG’s relationship with prediction-market operator Kalshi. A $2 million Kalshi partnership announced in May prompted controversy and membership departures, including by gambling regulators in Michigan and Ohio and a Washington State problem-gambling advocacy group. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission retained its membership but said it would consider whether to renew it.
Michigan formally withdrew from NCPG on July 1, saying the council’s partnership with Kalshi conflicted with the regulator’s mission and could weaken state enforcement positions. The board said Kalshi had offered unlicensed sports gambling in Michigan and argued that NCPG’s affiliation could lead the public to believe the company was subject to the protections and oversight applied to licensed operators.
As reported Sept. 22, the council has since said prediction markets are functionally gambling, while remaining neutral on whether they should be legal. NCPG has maintained that donor engagement does not give funders control of its research, advocacy, policy positions or public statements, and has called for safeguards including age verification, self-exclusion, risk disclosures and direct help lines.
NCPG announced a Financial Services & Trading membership category and the Financial Trader Health and Safety Initiative during Maurer’s tenure. The evidence does not establish whether the prediction-markets dispute caused her resignation.
