Chris Sieroty
Trey Delap, Executive Director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, confirmed the National Council on Problem Gambling’s partnership with Kalshi prompted the organization to evaluate and eventually end their relationship with the national organization.
“Kalshi was the catalyst for that review, but the decision itself was about the broader principle of institutional independence,” Delap told CDC Gaming in an email. “After careful consideration, we concluded that continuing the affiliation was no longer consistent with our responsibility as Nevada’s statewide problem gambling organization.”
Delap stressed that their decision was not about “one company or one product,” rather “it was about preserving the independence that gives problem gambling organizations their credibility.”
In May, the NCPG established the new Financial Services & Trading Subcategory, after Kalshi made a $2 million, two-year investment in the national organization, even as the prediction market company continues to argue that user activity is trading, and not gambling. The NCPG noted the funding would support “trader health and safety.”
Based in Washington, D.C., the NCPG also has received funding from the NFL, DraftKings, FanDuel, Las Vegas Sands, among other contributors. The Nevada Council’s decision to leave the NCPG was first reported by the Nevada Current.
The Current reported that the Nevada Council tried to pause its relationship in June, but the NCPG said it was not an option. In July, the Michigan Gaming Control Board formerly withdrew its membership from the NCPG.
Delap declined to speculate if other affiliates would sever their ties with NCPG, saying each affiliate has their own board, governance structure and mission and those decisions are appropriately theirs to make.
“Our responsibility remains to Nevada,” he said.
Delap also declined to comment on whether NCPG’s relationship with Kalshi affects its core mission or hurts everyone’s credibility in the problem gambling space.
“We respect the (NCPG) and recognize that reasonable organizations may reach different conclusions,” Delap said. “When an independent problem gambling organization enters partnerships with companies whose business interests it may one day be called in to evaluate, preserving public confidence in its institutional independence becomes increasingly important.”
“That principle was central to our decision,” he added.
Delap stressed that their concern was broader than the legal status of any individual product. The Nevada Council’s position, he told CDC Gaming, was that new forms of wagers and wagering should be evaluated using the same public policy principles that have long guided Nevada’s regulated gaming industry.
“Innovation and consumer protection are not competing values, public confidence in new gaming products depends on both,” Delap said.
Nevada’s problem gambling rate stands at 6%, with between 10% to 15% of people with substance use disorders may also have a gambling problem, according to figures released by the Nevada Council. That number is higher than the 2% U.S. national average.
Kalshi allows 18-year-olds to buy event contracts, while the Nevada Council supports a minimum age of 21.
“We have seen an increase in requests for help over the past several years coinciding with the expansion of online sports wagering,” Delap said. “We cannot determine what portion is specifically attributed to prediction markets, as many individuals seeking help engage in multiple forms of gambling on a variety of platforms.”
Because prediction markets operate largely outside the traditional responsible gambling infrastructure, Delap said there is limited data available to evaluate participation patters and gambling-related harm.
“That uncertainty underscores the importance of ensuring appropriate consumer protections as these products continue to evolve,” Delap said.
On August 12, Kalshi ended writing contracts in Nevada related to sports, politics and entertainment under an agreement with state gaming regulators, or face a $120,000 fine per-day until it was in compliance.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board and Kalshi have been arguing in court since March 2025, when regulators claimed there firm was operating a sports-betting business without a license.
The Nevada Council has filed a friend of the court brief in Nevada’s case against Kalshi, describing Kalshi’s use in the state as a public health crisis waiting to happen.
Kalshi has reached a similar agreement with Michigan regulators, while the company continues to battle Nevada in state and federal court. As part of the settlement agreement, Kalshi has put in place technology that bans Nevada gamblers from buying event contracts.
Kalshi has partnered with GeoComply to prevent event contracts being sold within the state.
