On March 19, 2026, Anutin Charnvirakul was elected as the 32nd Prime Minister by Thailand’s House of Representatives, after taking the interim position in September 2025,...
Thailand blocks over 700K betting URLs ahead of FIFA 2026
Thailand’s police have revealed that 717,425 URLs connected to gambling have been blocked between October 1, 2025, and May 20, 2026, as authorities are increasing enforcement action against illegal operators ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The country’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society shared that over 600,000 of the blocks were imposed based on court orders, while more than 37,000 were restricted after cooperating with social media platforms. Additionally, the illegal URLs were identified and removed from platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Line.
As part of the investigations, 309 online gambling websites were targeted as priorities for May and June operations, with multiple arrest warrants issued for participants and some already detained by police.
Deputy Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center, Trairong Piwpan, stated that the Royal Thai Police was ordered to launch a crackdown on illegal online gambling in Thailand, with a specific focus on football betting. The authorities are also using AI systems to find illegal gambling content and accounts that promote any form of betting.
Ploythalay Laksameesaengjan, the Deputy Government Spokeswoman, shared that the increased focus on gambling activities is because of concerns that the World Cup could drive users to illegal platforms.
The police believe that offshore operators have turned to more modern financial channels like corporate accounts and cross-border intermediaries to continue operating their illegal networks, which requires authorities to intensify regulatory measures against the platforms.
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