A pact among Brazil’s major media outlets, described as unprecedented and historic, seeks to reduce gambling-related harm in the country by refusing sports betting advertising money.
According to LatAm Journalism Review, at least 60 Brazilian news organizations have agreed not to accept the industry’s marketing money or PR pitches. They believe it would create a conflict of interest in covering gambling.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., media companies such as The New York Times, USA Today, and Advance Local, owner of numerous publications, have financial relationships with the sports gambling industry. Other news organizations, such as CNN and CNBC, have financial relationships with Kalshi, a stock-market-style form of sports gambling.
Editor’s disclosure: I previously worked for Forbes Betting, an affiliate marketing vertical associated with Forbes Media. Forbes Betting no longer exists, and I’m unaware of any financial relationship between Forbes and the betting industry at this time.
The Brazilian media initiative comes as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has publicly supported policy to roll back online gambling, citing an epidemic of addiction.
Meanwhile, the U.S. president’s son has an equity stake in Kalshi and a financial interest in Polymarket. Brazil has blocked and banned both Polymarket and Kalshi, along with at least two dozen other prediction market platforms.
What Brazilian Media is Saying
According to a joint editorial, the news organizations believe in independence from gambling. Many said they have already turned down advertising deals and PR firms’ attempts to promote the industry.
“We publicly reject this influence, particularly over journalism, which must be committed above all to serving the public interest,” the editorial said. “Our role is to defend society by independently investigating and exposing the industry’s undue influence and by calling on authorities to adopt stricter rules governing both betting advertisements and the operations of betting companies.”
The news outlets signing on to the initiative range from national and local publications to investigative outlets and business websites covering startups, technology, and financial markets.
Crisis in Brazil
Experts in Brazil have called online gambling a growing epidemic.
The Brazilian sports gambling sector takes about $6 billion USD in bets each year, according to current figures. By comparison, the U.S. legal market took more than $160 billion in bets in 2025.
The media pact follows a surge in gambling around the World Cup.
According to the report, sports gambling is widespread but unpopular. Polling has found that 44% of Brazilians want betting companies to be banned.
In the U.S., a late 2025 poll found that 43% of Americans think legal sports betting is “bad for society.” A more recent poll from May 2026 found that 47% of Americans oppose legal sports betting, compared with 31% who support it.
In most cases, American media companies have done the opposite of their Brazilian counterparts by maintaining or even deepening their relationships with gambling firms.
