Faced with a litany of legal challenges, Kalshi has not slowed down its hiring drive, bringing a well-seasoned veteran in the face of Sara Slane as the company’s new Head of Corporate Development.
Slane set to spearhead Kalshi’s sports business as she cites regulatory compliance
Slane is a pioneering figure in sports betting space and previously served as SVP/Public Affairs at the American Gaming Association (AGA) before breaking away and launching her own consultancy in 2019.
After the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 or PASPA, Slane was among the trailblazers to convince sports leagues and other organizations that sports betting would not undermine their operations and bring them on board with the federal legalization of sports gambling.
Slane is bringing her expertise at a crucial juncture for Kalshi, which has been pushing back against a regulatory offensive by gambling authorities seeking to suspend its operations, arguing that Kalshi falls under their jurisdiction.
She will work directly with Co-Founder & CEO Tarek Mansour and seek to help raise awareness of what prediction markets such as Kalshi do. "There is a lot of misinformation out there," Slane cautioned.
I’m excited to announce I’m joining the team at @Kalshi, as Head of Corporate Development!
— Sara Slane (@Sara_Slane) April 8, 2025
I’ve spent years in the sports industry, and after my many accomplishments enabled me to set up a successful solo consulting business, I thought I was done working for anyone but myself.…
Slane did not hesitate to speak highly of Kalshi’s current track record and accomplishments so far. In a social media post shared on X, Slane said that Kalshi had spent more than three years engaging upfront with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to create the first fully-regulated prediction market in the United States.
"This changed when I started consulting for Kalshi a few months ago. Never in my career have I seen a company with the combination of characteristics that Kalshi has: bold vision, outlier founders, deep commitment to regulatory compliance, and astronomical growth," she said, further highlighting the company’s credentials.
Slane has ample track record in bringing organizations on board with innovation
In an official statement, Mansour also praised Slane’s track record, which "spoke for itself," and emphasized her accomplishments in sports betting and the gaming space, having helped overturn PASPA and shown leagues and teams to monetize from the newly-created opportunity that sports betting presented.
Mansour said that Kalshi is looking to grow its sports business and partner with operators, leagues, and teams, an undertaking that would most certainly require Slane’s expertise.
Yet, states such as Maryland and Ohio continue to argue that Kalshi's offer falls within the oversight of state gambling watchdogs.
Kalshi has a robust track record dealing with regulators, challenging the CFTC, and managing to launch political prediction markets in time for the November election. Now, the company is similarly challenging regulators in Nevada and New Jersey, in what may prove to be existential legal cases.
