Sara Slane, who served as the Senior Vice President/Public Affairs at the American Gaming Association, has joined the controversial futures exchange company, Kalshi as their Head of Corporate Development.
Reporting to co-founder & CEO Tarek Mansour, her new role will include such sectors as public affairs, government relations and liaison work with sports leagues.
Key Insights
- Sara Slane named Kalshi Head of Corporate Development
- She has earned spots on Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40, the Global Gaming Business Top 25 People to Watch, and induction into the Sports Betting Hall of Fame
- Served as SVP/Public Affairs at the American Gaming Association (AGA) for five years before launching a sports betting consultancy (2019).
Previously, Slane had served as SVP/Public Affairs at the American Gaming Association (AGA) for five years before launching a sports betting consultancy in 2019. While at the AGA, she led the successful campaign to overturn the federal ban on sports betting.
She has also advised over 30 professional teams and leagues, served on the boards of various companies, and helped drive business development between operators and the broader gaming ecosystem.
“Sara’s track record speaks for itself. She ran the successful campaign to overturn the federal law banning sports betting and helped leagues and teams monetize off the opportunity and now she’s joining Kalshi, a federally regulated futures derivative exchange poised to further grow the marketplace,” said Mansour in an official announcement.
“As we look to grow our sports business and further partner with operators, leagues and teams we hope to leverage her expertise and decades long relationships with key stakeholders. Sara is known for her ability to drive partnership and maximize opportunities for future growth.”
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.…
“Kalshi is taking a bold, innovative approach to regulated prediction markets. There is a lot of interest and excitement from sports and the gaming industry about Kalshi and I look forward to assisting in the process of coalition building, educating and driving business development at this critical time,” Slane said.
“I’ve seen how powerful prediction markets can be when structured, integrated, and regulated the right way. Kalshi has the potential to unlock in partnership with operators and sports leagues and teams a completely new paradigm – reshaping how consumers and institutions interact with the financial market. I’m thrilled to help lead that charge.”
Kalshi background
Kalshi, which operates in all 50 states, functions similar to a sportsbook, allowing customers to predict the winner of a game and purchase futures contracts that back that prediction at prices that fluctuate similarly to odds, using an exchange regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Kalshi hit the American landscape with their predictive markets for last November's Presidential election and has recently offered markets - through high-profile online broker Robinhood - on huge sporting events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness over the last couple of months.
However, in at least four states, regulators have issued cease-and-desist letters to stop offering these markets. Those states include Illinois, Ohio, Nevada and New Jersey.
Kalshi has not abided by those orders and has continued to operate in those states previously mentioned.
