Nearly $444 million Arizona Lottery dollars over three decades benefit the Heritage Fund and its impact on wildlife and habitat conservation in Arizona

PHOENIX (September 4, 2022) – September 4th may be National Wildlife Day but, here at the Arizona Lottery, every day is about protecting and preserving our state’s unique and iconic wildlife and their habitats. In fact, for 32 years, the Arizona Lottery has partnered with the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s (AZGFD) Heritage Fund, a program funded solely by the Lottery, to accomplish that mission. 

Each year, the Heritage Fund receives up to $10 million from the Arizona Lottery, which is important because neither the Heritage program nor AZGFD receive any general fund tax dollars. Under state law, Heritage Fund revenues are expended into the following five categories: protection of native and sensitive species and their habitats, urban wildlife, habitat evaluation and protection, public access, and environmental education.

“When you play the Arizona Lottery, you’re doing more than just helping the Heritage Fund and the Game and Fish Department protect all of our state’s beautiful wildlife and habitats,” said Arizona Lottery Executive Director Gregg Edgar. “You are ensuring that all Arizonans can experience and enjoy them for generations to come.”

Since 1993, the Arizona Lottery has transferred nearly $444 million to the Heritage Fund, which has allowed Game and Fish to focus on the species that are not traditionally hunted or fished, as well as those that are threatened or endangered. These include bald eagles, black footed ferrets, and many others.

“The Heritage Fund helped expand our conservation efforts to more species that Arizonans care about,” said Josh Avey, Terrestrial Wildlife Branch Chief of AZGFD. “The most magnificent part is that our state has been able to capitalize on conservation in ways that few other states are able to do thanks to the revenue generated from the Arizona Lottery for the Heritage Fund.”

For more information on the Arizona Lottery, please visit here. 

For more information on AZGFD, visit here.