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Arizona wants gamblers to make a plan before they play. This September, the state made one of its own.
The Arizona Department of Gaming and the Arizona Lottery launched a statewide effort Sept. 1, recognizing September 2026 as Responsible Gaming Education Month, backed by a proclamation from Gov. Katie Hobbs.
What Responsible Play for a Stronger Arizona includes
The centerpiece is a new digital marketing campaign called Responsible Play for a Stronger Arizona, built with the Arizona Media Association. It features a new public service announcement and runs across digital, streaming, and social platforms, plus print, TV and radio spots in English and Spanish.
The Department also promoted its on-demand Responsible Gaming Training, available at gaming.az.gov/RGtraining, as part of the push.
Department Director Jackie Johnson framed it as an extension of work the agency already does year-round.
“Arizona has a long-standing commitment to promoting responsible gaming and empowering consumers aged 21 and older to make informed choices about their play, and we are proud to partner with the Arizona Lottery to advance this important work,” Johnson said. “By identifying and embracing new opportunities … we are taking meaningful action to keep responsible gaming at the forefront and ensure that Arizonans have the awareness, resources and support they need to make informed choices.”
The campaign’s responsible gambling advice to players is not complicated:
- Make a plan before playing, with limits on time and budget, and stick to it
- Treat gambling as entertainment, not a way to make money
- Take breaks
Simple enough that it barely needs a marketing budget. Arizona built one anyway.
The Department is also pushing the message down to the local level.
Asking cities and towns to adopt their own Responsible Gaming Education Month proclamations and post problem gambling resources on their own community webpages, backed by a sample proclamation and a quick reference guide the state put together for local leaders.
That matters because the help itself is already in place. Arizona runs a confidential, 24-hour problem gambling helpline at 1-800-NEXT-STEP, along with treatment counseling, financial counseling and voluntary self-exclusion for anyone who needs to step away from gambling entirely.
More details are available at gaming.az.gov/ResponsibleGaming and arizonalottery.com/about-the-arizona-lottery/responsible-gaming.
Arizona has run this campaign before
This is not new ground for Arizona. The state recognized the same month with its own campaign in September 2025, which makes 2026 the second consecutive year the Department and the Lottery have built a coordinated push around it rather than issued a one-off release.
It is not an Arizona-only observance, either. The American Gaming Association sponsors Responsible Gaming Education Month nationally every September, and 2026 marks the trade group’s 28th year doing it. The AGA has said nearly 60% of Americans gambled in the past year, citing CDC Gaming data. That is the kind of number that explains why a state agency spends a month on messaging instead of a single press release.
The toolkit, the training and the local proclamation push all run through the end of September.
The betting and the buying doesn’t stop when the month does. Neither does the number Arizona wants people to remember.
“Promoting responsible gaming is at the heart of our mission and our commitment to keeping players safe,” said Alec Thomson, executive director of the Arizona Lottery.
“This Responsible Gaming Education Month, we are proud to highlight our efforts to promote responsible play, including our partnership with the Arizona Department of Gaming and shared investments in education, awareness and direct support for those who need it.”
