NCPG Urges U.S. Prediction Markets to Promote Helpline
The National Council on Problem Gambling has formally called on U.S.-facing prediction market operators to promote the National Problem Gambling Helpline, arguing that event-based trading platforms expose consumers to behavioral risks comparable to sports betting.
The resolution urges operators to prominently display the 1-800-MY-RESET helpline number in marketing materials and within platform interfaces a requirement already standard across regulated sportsbook environments.
Responsible Gambling Standards Expand Beyond Sports Betting
Prediction markets including platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket allow users to trade contracts tied to real-world outcomes. While structured as financial exchanges rather than gambling products, NCPG argues that user behavior on these platforms can mirror traditional wagering patterns, including loss chasing and impulsive trading.
The core issue is classification versus behavior.
NCPG’s position is that consumer protection standards should follow behavioral risk, not legal structure. If users experience gambling-like harm, safeguards typically required in regulated betting markets should apply.
For operators, that framing carries operational implications. Prominent helpline display would affect onboarding flows, footer disclosures, marketing creative, affiliate communications and potentially risk-management messaging areas not traditionally associated with exchange-style platforms.
Regulatory Convergence Risk
The resolution does not challenge the legality of prediction markets nor take a stance on regulatory jurisdiction. Instead, it positions helpline promotion as a minimum public health obligation.
However, the move signals a broader convergence between wagering and event trading in policy discussions.
If prediction markets begin adopting responsible gambling markers common in sports betting, the distinction between financial exchange and wagering products may narrow in the eyes of regulators, legislators and payment providers. That could have downstream consequences for compliance expectations, licensing scrutiny and ESG oversight.
Consumer Perception Gap
A key concern highlighted by NCPG is user perception. Consumers may not view prediction trading as gambling, reducing the likelihood of self-identifying risky behavior or seeking help.
For operators, this perception gap is double-edged. It supports the financial exchange positioning of the product but may also increase reputational exposure if harm narratives emerge without visible safeguards.
Industry Impact
Helpline visibility is a low-cost intervention. The strategic question is not feasibility, but precedent.
Voluntary compliance would signal alignment with established harm-reduction norms in U.S. betting markets. Resistance, by contrast, risks reinforcing arguments that prediction platforms operate adjacent to gambling without comparable consumer protections.
As event-based trading grows in visibility, expectations around responsible gaming standards are likely to evolve alongside it. NCPG’s resolution represents an early attempt to shape that trajectory.
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