BANGKOK, Thailand – The government has launched a major crackdown on illegal online gambling websites ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, blocking over 670,000 URLs in the past eight months. Officials also warned social media influencers to stop pinning links or promoting gambling content or face severe legal prosecution. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksameesangchan stated that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered law enforcement and digital agencies to step up security measures. The prime minister mandated an immediate upgrade of tools to detect, block, and shut down illegal social media pages, websites, and malicious URLs, focusing on cross-border gambling networks.
Under this directive, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) has blocked 673,699 gambling-related URLs during the first eight months of the 2026 fiscal year (October 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026). This total includes 635,717 sites taken down by direct court orders and 37,982 scams or betting links blocked through cooperation with social media platforms. In May 2026 alone, the ministry blocked 78,796 illegal gambling links. The government has ordered the DES Ministry to ramp up web monitoring as the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off this June. Additionally, the Technology Crime Suppression Center under the Royal Thai Police will deploy artificial intelligence (AI) detection systems. The AI tools will help track illegal betting platforms more accurately to prevent youths from falling into online gambling during the month-long soccer festival.
The government strongly advises the public against sharing illegal digital content that violates Section 14 of the Computer Crime Act. The deputy spokesperson warned online influencers, content creators, and livestreamers to stop immediately pinning shopping carts, pasting affiliate links, or generating promotional content for gambling platforms. She stressed that violators will face strict legal action. (NNT)
