More than a Month: How Responsibility Was Amplified But Not Constrained to September

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Today concludes Responsible Gaming Education Month. Joe Maloney, senior vice president, strategic communications for the sponsor American Gaming Association, stresses that the industry honors RG during September, but commits to it year round with a variety of programs and initiatives that aim to educate and inform all involved.

As September comes to a close, we tie a bow on another successful Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM). It’s more than a calendar event—it’s a moment to reaffirm and spotlight our industry’s year-round commitment to responsible play.

For our operator and supplier members, RGEM is a time to elevate the resources that help consumers enjoy gaming responsibly. For consumers, it’s an opportunity to deepen their understanding of what responsible gaming looks like.

AGA Leadership

This year, the American Gaming Association used September to emphasize several priorities anchored in key moments of heightened consumer engagement. As football season kicked off, we released our NFL wager estimate projecting that Americans will legally bet $30 billion this season. That projection carried an important reminder: bet legally and responsibly.

We also elevated our Have a Game Plan. Bet Responsibly campaign, which spotlights five principles: set a budget, understand the odds, keep it fun, play legally, and the newest addition – keep your cool. The last principle underscores that there’s no place for harassment of players or officials when a bet doesn’t go your way.

At the same time, we drew attention to the rise of sports event contracts through prediction markets. Of most concern, these contracts skirt sports betting laws and offer what a vast majority of Americans—and even the platforms themselves—know is a sports bet. Our research shows that 84 percent of Americans believe these contracts should only be available in state-licensed sportsbooks. Unlike regulated operators, these platforms avoid state gaming taxes, deprive communities of critical funding, and lack responsible gaming safeguards that protect bettors – the very foundation we seek to spotlight this month.

That’s why the AGA has urged Congress and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to fulfill their regulatory and oversight duties and make clear that sports betting belongs in the state-regulated market. Legal operators not only provide fair play but also ensure betting remains safe and sustainable.

Industry Highlights

Responsible gaming is a shared commitment across the industry, and this September demonstrated how operators, states, and partners are continuing to focus on that mission:

Each of these efforts, and the many others not mentioned, reinforce a common theme: responsible gaming is not a competitive advantage, it’s a shared responsibility that sustains trust and strengthens the future of the industry.

Policy And Advocacy

Policy leadership is equally important. In September,  which would eliminate the outdated federal excise tax that penalizes legal operators and props up illegal offshore operations.

And at the state level, the California legislature moved swiftly to ban sweepstakes casinos. The bill, currently on the Governor’s desk will become law in October unless vetoed. Upon enactment, this legislation will protect players from unregulated operators who lack the safeguards and accountability of the legal market.

These are encouraging actions by lawmakers at every level.

More Than A Month

Responsible Gaming Education Month may take place every September, but responsibility extends well beyond this month. September provides a platform for our industry to showcase progress, but the work is ongoing: continuing to innovate, educate, and solidify responsible gaming throughout everything that we do.

The initiatives launched, the partnerships strengthened, and the commitments renewed this month will shape the legal, state-regulated market’s impact in the months and years ahead. Responsible gaming is the foundation of a healthy, sustainable industry.