The Arizona Department of Gaming has unveiled its new Take Back the Game campaign to promote the state’s self-exclusion program, which allows residents to exclude themselves from commercial gaming activity, event wagering and daily fantasy sports (DFS) applications.
“Arizona first launched a voluntary self-exclusion program in the early 2000s as a tool for residents to opt out of visiting Tribal casinos if they decided gambling was negatively impacting their well-being and becoming problematic,” Arizona Department of Gaming Director Jackie Johnson said.
“Later, the Department expanded the program to include event wagering and fantasy sports. Today, with the Take Back the Game campaign, our agency affirms the value of self-exclusion as an empowering, practical tool that has positive impacts for thousands of Arizonans.”
As part of the self-exclusion program, residents may request to be banned from all forms of gambling for a one-, five- or 10-year term.
Within Take Back the Game, a live self-exclusion request takes place at the Arizona Department of Gaming’s Phoenix office, set to air on digitial, television and radio platforms.
According to the Arizona Department of Gaming, the self-exclusion program has helped nearly 12,000 residents, as well as currently maintains 2,500 active self-exclusions.
Take Back the Game represents one of three campaigns to be introduced by the Arizona Department of Gaming, joining No Online Casinos and Too Young to Bet, all of which were created in partnership with the Arizona Media Association.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs also issued a new proclamation to officially recognize March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month on March 5, with additional support from the Arizona Lottery and the state’s Division of Problem Gambling.
The Problem Gambling Division will recognize March 10 as Gambling Disorder Screening Day alongside the Arizona Lottery, while the Department of Gaming estimates 3-4% of Arizona adults aged 21 or over will develop a gambling disorder.
Attorney General Kris Mayes filed criminal charges against prediction market operator Kalshi on March 18, alleging it ran an illegal gambling business in Arizona and unlawfully accepted wagers on elections
