Michigan quits NCPG over Kalshi partnership

The Michigan Gaming Control Board withdrew its membership from the National Council on Problem Gambling in a July 1 letter after the NCPG announced a partnership with prediction-market firm Kalshi. The regulator stated the arrangement conflicts with its mission to protect consumers and promote responsible gaming.

MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams wrote to NCPG Executive Director Heather Maurer on July 1 and asked the council to remove references to MGCB membership. He directed that MGCB staff stop serving on NCPG boards and committees, that the regulator not attend NCPG events, and that MGCB’s paid sponsorship of the NCPG annual conference later this month be canceled.

In the letter Williams described Kalshi as ‘actively involved in offering unlicensed sports gambling in Michigan’ and noted the company is engaged in litigation with multiple states. He wrote that Kalshi’s effort to classify sports-event contracts as investment or insurance products conflicts with responsible-gaming messages and increases the risk of problem gambling.

A Michigan judge recently granted the state a temporary restraining order requiring Kalshi to stop offering sports-event contracts in Michigan. The order is part of a broader legal dispute over whether federally regulated prediction markets fall under state gambling laws; several states have challenged Kalshi’s classification of its contracts as financial instruments.

The NCPG introduced Kalshi under a new Financial Services & Trading membership category as part of a reported $2 million strategic partnership. Regulated gaming stakeholders criticized the arrangement and warned it could create public confusion about Kalshi’s regulatory status and how prediction markets fit within responsible-gambling standards. The NCPG previously issued a resolution asking prediction-market operators to promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-800-MY-RESET.

Michigan allocated about $10 million to problem-gambling services in 2025 while collecting roughly $1.78 billion in gaming and lottery tax revenue the previous fiscal year. The Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research gave Michigan an F- in its 2026 Gambling Policy Report Card, citing gaps in funding and consumer protections and recommending bans on credit-card gambling and mandatory cooling-off periods for players who lose more than $500 in 30 days.

The MGCB’s withdrawal is the first major organizational fallout tied to the NCPG–Kalshi partnership. It remains unclear whether other state regulators will reassess their relationships with the NCPG as legal challenges to prediction markets continue.