Thailand Blocks 945,075 Gambling URLs In FY2026
Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) says it blocked a total of 945,075 URLs linked to illegal online gambling during fiscal 2026, the period running from October 2025 through September 2026, as part of an intensifying crackdown on unlicensed betting sites.
The ministry outlined the figures in a statement dated 6 October, a day after meeting with anti-gambling and youth advocacy groups to discuss further measures.
Casino Games Hub
Court Orders Drive Most of the Blocks
According to the ministry's own account of the meeting, held at MDES headquarters with representatives from the Stop Gambling Foundation, the New Generation No Gambling Network, the Youth Health Promotion Network and the Children, Youth and Family Foundation, the bulk of the year's blocks came through court orders.
The ministry said Thai courts had ordered a combined 835,207 URLs blocked over the fiscal year, broken down into 749,546 identified through the ministry's own proactive detection measures and 85,661 flagged using data supplied by the Royal Thai Police.
A further 109,868 URLs were taken down through direct cooperation with digital platforms, bringing the full-year total to 945,075.
AI Detection and Enforcement Tools
MDES minister Chaichanok Chidchob, who led the meeting alongside deputy permanent secretary Chomparee Chomphurat, said the ministry continues to rely on artificial intelligence tools to detect and analyse illegal gambling websites and related social media content, feeding that analysis into a "Paperless" court-filing process and a "Suspend" system designed to speed up notices to internet service providers once a blocking order is issued.
A "URL Checker" system is used to verify that blocked sites stay down over time rather than reappearing under new addresses. The ministry's monthly disclosures over the course of the fiscal year show how quickly the blocking total accumulated.
Figures the ministry released earlier in the year put the running total at 220,486 URLs after roughly three months, 437,473 after five months, and 601,594 after six months, with online gambling consistently identified as the single largest category of illegal content blocked, ahead of e-cigarette sales, alcohol advertising, cannabis trading and other prohibited categories.
The ministry also ran a dedicated push during the 2026 World Cup period, reporting that it blocked more than 55,000 gambling-related URLs between 1 June and 12 July alone as betting activity spiked around the tournament.
Advocacy Groups Push for Tighter Rules
At the 5 October meeting, anti-gambling networks pressed the ministry to go further, raising proposals aimed at reducing young people's exposure to gambling advertising and content online.
The ministry said it would factor the groups' input into future policy, alongside plans to work more closely with search engine providers to limit how easily gambling sites and related content surface in search results.
Thailand's approach contrasts with jurisdictions that rely primarily on payment-blocking or licensing regimes; the country continues to prohibit most forms of commercial gambling outright, leaving site and app blocking as one of its main enforcement tools against the large unlicensed online betting market that still reaches Thai players through offshore operators and local agents.
