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The Ohio Casino Control Commission has quietly withdrawn from the National Council on Problem Gambling, becoming the third state-affiliated organization to sever ties with the group over its partnership with prediction market operator Kalshi.
Ohio’s departure came in June but was not publicly reported until September, when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission discussed whether it should follow suit. Massachusetts ultimately decided to remain an NCPG member for now, leaving Ohio, Michigan and Nevada as the organizations that have cut ties with the national problem gambling group.
The departures stem from NCPG’s decision in May to accept Kalshi as a member and receive a $2 million, two-year investment from the prediction market operator.
Ohio’s letter surfaces months after withdrawal
Interim OCCC Executive Director Andromeda Morrison sent NCPG a letter in June notifying the organization that Ohio was ending its membership. The decision came to light months later during a Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting, according to Legal Sports Report.
Morrison said the commission needed to avoid being associated with organizations affiliated with companies it considers to be engaged in illegal gambling in Ohio. The OCCC has been engaged in a legal dispute with Kalshi over the company’s sports event contracts.
The timing followed the OCCC’s $5 million fine against Kalshi in April. About a month later, NCPG announced that Kalshi would become the first platinum-level member of its new Financial Services & Trading category and invest $2 million in the organization’s Financial Trader Health and Safety Initiative.
Why Ohio objected to Kalshi partnership
The OCCC’s objection centers on its position that Kalshi’s sports event contracts constitute unlicensed sports betting in Ohio.
Morrison argued that NCPG’s relationship with Kalshi conflicts with the standards expected of an organization focused on responsible gambling. She also cited the state’s ongoing litigation and said the partnership could make consumers believe Kalshi offers the same protections as a licensed sportsbook.
Ohio’s position is part of a broader state-federal dispute over how prediction markets should be regulated. Kalshi maintains that its event contracts are financial products under federal jurisdiction rather than state-regulated sports betting.
That dispute remains active. On Sept. 16, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Kalshi from offering sports event contracts on two California tribal reservations, finding that the contracts likely violated the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and tribal gaming rules. The ruling was one of several recent legal challenges involving Kalshi’s sports contracts.
The OCCC also asked NCPG to remove references to its membership and affiliation. Its employees will no longer serve on NCPG boards or attend the organization’s events, including its annual conference.
Michigan and Nevada also left NCPG
Ohio’s withdrawal followed the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s decision to leave NCPG in July.
Michigan cited concerns similar to those raised by Ohio, arguing that NCPG’s relationship with Kalshi could undermine state enforcement efforts and create confusion over whether prediction markets are subject to the same consumer protections and regulatory oversight as licensed sports betting.
MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams also objected to the characterization of sports event contracts as investment products. He argued that presenting internet sports betting as a way to generate financial gain conflicts with responsible gaming principles.
Michigan also withdrew from NCPG events and canceled its paid sponsorship of the organization’s annual conference.
The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling subsequently cut ties with NCPG in August. Executive Director Trey Delap said the Nevada organization no longer believed its mission was aligned with NCPG’s direction following the Kalshi partnership.
Massachusetts decides to stay, for now
Massachusetts considered leaving NCPG during a Sept. 10 meeting but ultimately decided to maintain its membership.
Mark Vander Linden, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s director of research and responsible gaming, told commissioners that he had spoken with NCPG leadership and believed the organizations’ missions remained aligned. He recommended keeping the membership.
The commissioners agreed to remain members in the short term, although several expressed reservations about the Kalshi relationship and NCPG’s acceptance of the $2 million investment. Commissioner Nakisha Skinner said she leaned toward cutting ties but did not want to single out Kalshi because regulated Massachusetts platforms also offer prediction-market products.
Commissioner Eileen O’Brien also raised concerns about the NCPG funding and ongoing litigation involving prediction markets. She said the commission could eventually reconsider its membership.
Chair Jordan Maynard likewise told NCPG that Massachusetts would continue to monitor the relationship and revisit the issue when its membership comes up for renewal.
For now, the result is three state-affiliated organizations have left NCPG over its Kalshi relationship, while Massachusetts has chosen to remain. The continuing legal disputes over prediction markets could determine whether that divide widens as states and federal regulators continue to debate who has authority over sports event contracts.
