Fifteen Brazilian news organisations have joined a collective editorial boycott of online betting ("bets") advertising, declaring they will refuse sponsorship and partnerships from the gambling sector. The move comes as data from Brazil's Central Bank shows that recipients of the Bolsa Família social welfare programme spent R$3 billion on betting platforms in August 2024 alone, while a study by the Instituto Locomotiva found that a third of gamblers were already in debt, with disability claims to the national social security institute (INSS) linked to compulsive gambling rising by more than 2,000%. The outlets, which include Agência Pública, Aos Fatos, and Agência Lupa, argue that accepting betting advertisements would directly contradict their own investigative reporting and undermine press credibility at a time when the industry — which generated R$37 billion in gross revenue last year — is accused of wielding growing political influence in Brazil's Congress to block tighter regulation.