Newsletter: Sydney Sweeney’s ad and the rise of women betting

Women are betting more and they’re paying the price. Plus good news stories from across the world and how filmmaker Aditi Gangrade’s experience with ADHD led her to create a space for the neurodivergent community in India

There’s a lot to unpack in the latest controversial ad featuring Sydney Sweeney: it’s a prime example of the manosphere’s version of sex sells and it threatens hard-won victories against objectifying women’s sports. But what really gets my attention is the industry behind it, and the growing number of women turning to online betting. Gambling has traditionally been seen as a male pursuit, especially in sports. But that is changing.

In the UK, the number of women seeking treatment for gambling addiction more than doubled in five years. In the US, women made up 35% of online sports gamblers last year, up from 26% in 2022. In my home country of Brazil, the numbers are striking too. A recent survey found that 42% of Brazilian women have gambled online. Another 12% don’t gamble themselves but are affected by someone close to them, including being the victims of threats and violence linked to gambling losses.

Overall, fun and entertainment are among the most common reasons why people gamble. But in Brazil, it’s often mothers who gamble in the hope of earning extra income to pay basic expenses and deal with debt. Among women who gamble, 72% are mothers, and they gamble about 1.6 times more often than women without children.