{"id":908643,"date":"2026-09-28T14:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908643\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T14:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T14:18:13","slug":"national-council-on-problem-gambling-seeking-executive-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/908643\/","title":{"rendered":"National Council on Problem Gambling Seeking Executive Director"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is looking for its third executive director in less than two years.<\/p>\n

\"NationalThe National Council on Problem Gambling logo. The NCPG is seeking its third executive director in two years. (Image: NCPG)<\/p>\n

Brian Pempus, the editor of GamblingHarm.org<\/a>, broke the news last Friday (Sept. 25) that the NCPG might be looking to replace Heather Maurer as executive director. The nonprofit\u2019s board later confirmed that Maurer had resigned.<\/p>\n

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. The need for NCPG\u2019s 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,\u201d said Derek Longmeier, president of the NCPG Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Maurer joined the organization dedicated to minimizing gambling harms only in January 2026. She replaced longtime executive director Keith Whyte<\/a>, who led the NCPG for two decades before taking a job with FanDuel. Whyte serves as the gaming company\u2019s responsible gaming strategic adviser.<\/p>\n

Prediction Market Scandal<\/p>\n

Maurer was hired after the NCPG conducted what it called a \u201chighly competitive search.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maurer arrived at the NCPG after serving for nearly six years as chief executive officer of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women\u2019s Health. Prior, she was the executive director of the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education. According to her LinkedIn profile, Maurer possessed no gaming industry experience before joining the NCPG.<\/p>\n

Maurer\u2019s tenure coincided with controversy after the NCPG in May announced a new category for prediction markets. Despite the claims from prediction markets that they are not gambling platforms but investment vehicles, the NCPG accepted a $2 million contribution to form the Financial Services & Trading membership category and launch the Financial Trader Health and Safety Initiative.<\/p>\n

The legal gambling industry strongly opposed the NCPG associating itself with prediction markets, which critics argue are engaged in illegal gambling. The Michigan Gaming Control Board, Ohio Casino Control Commission, and Nevada Council on Problem Gambling severed ties with the NCPG, and numerous other state gaming regulators and gaming interests say they might not renew their NCPG memberships when they become due.<\/p>\n

The prediction markets scandal also led to a subdued annual NCPG conference. The 2026 gathering was held in Nashville in July.<\/p>\n

NCPG Defends PMs<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if the prediction market controversy led to Maurer\u2019s exit. The NCPG continues to defend the membership category.<\/p>\n

Last week, Longmeier said prediction markets<\/a>, regardless of whether one considers them gambling or not, expose consumers to \u201cmany of the same risks and harms associated with traditional gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longmeier said it\u2019s the NCPG\u2019s duty to \u201cprevent and reduce gambling-related harm wherever it occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is looking for its third executive director in less than two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":908644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[64,63,137,476745,308323,514,515,357193,357194,129940,162656],"class_list":["post-908643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-heather-maurer","tag-keith-whyte","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-national-council-on-problem-gambling","tag-ncpg","tag-prediction-markets","tag-responsible-gambling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}