Thailand’s government says it has blocked or removed nearly 14,000 illegal online gambling websites and pages linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup as part of an artificial intelligence-supported enforcement campaign targeting betting networks.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced that authorities had intensified efforts against illegal football gambling operations during the tournament, combining cyber enforcement measures with wider efforts to protect broadcasting rights and intellectual property. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksameesangchan said government agencies had strengthened cooperation between security and technology authorities to detect and disrupt online gambling activity, particularly through social media platforms.
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has been deploying artificial intelligence tools to identify, analyze, and filter suspicious online content more efficiently, allowing authorities to act against illegal gambling networks at greater scale. The enforcement campaign follows instructions from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who has ordered agencies to increase action against online gambling websites, describing the sector as a significant social threat.
According to government figures, between June 1st and June 18th, officials obtained court orders to block illegal gambling websites and worked with online platforms to remove offending pages. A total of 13,888 websites and online pages connected to illegal betting activities were blocked or taken down during the period. The crackdown comes as governments across Asia increase monitoring of illegal gambling activity linked to the World Cup, a period traditionally associated with a rise in betting-related enforcement actions.
In addition to targeting gambling networks, Thai authorities also warned restaurants, entertainment venues, and other businesses against unauthorized commercial use of World Cup broadcasts. Officials stressed that public screenings and rebroadcasting of matches must comply with intellectual property regulations and the rights of official broadcast partners.
“The government wishes to stress that anyone who uses, rebroadcasts or redistributes the World Cup 2026 live broadcast signal without written permission from the official rights holder in Thailand – whether by recording matches and re-uploading them, re-streaming them online, live-streaming them on social media, or showing the signal inside shops to attract customers for commercial benefit – will be deemed to have committed commercial copyright infringement,” Ploytalay stated.
Authorities warned that commercial copyright violations could result in prison sentences ranging from six months to four years, fines between THB100,000 ($3,070) and THB800,000 ($24,560), or both.The government urged members of the public and businesses to avoid involvement with illegal gambling and follow proper procedures when using World Cup-related content. Officials said stronger compliance would support the sustainable development of Thailand’s sports, media, and related commercial sectors.
