Thailand, October 7, 2026: the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) closed fiscal year 2026 with 945,075 URLs and pieces of gambling-related content blocked or removed between October 2025 and September 2026. Of the total, 835,207 URLs were blocked through court orders, while another 109,868 were removed directly through cooperation with digital platforms.
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Within the court-ordered blocks, 749,546 URLs were identified through proactive MDES operations and 85,661 came from information supplied by the Royal Thai Police. The next phase was announced after an October 5 meeting and expands the strategy to citizen reports, youth organizations, search engines and platforms such as TikTok and Meta.
Nan Boontida Somchai
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The crackdown is led by Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob, with Nan Boontida Somchai serving as Deputy Minister and Patchara Anantasilp as Permanent Secretary. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as Interior Minister, has ordered coordination among MDES, police, the Interior Ministry and other agencies.
Detection already incorporates artificial intelligence. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, between June 1 and July 12, the Ministry blocked 55,377 items, including 29,402 in June and 25,975 during the first 12 days of July. Between October 2025 and May 2026, authorities had already blocked 673,699 URLs, of which 635,717 required court orders.
The Royal Thai Police also intensified enforcement. Between June 6 and June 20, it took action against 388 URLs, 135 bookmakers and 1,363 players, identifying financial flows of more than THB3.371 billion. The legal basis rests on the Computer Crime Act B.E. 2550 (2007), particularly Section 20, which allows authorities to seek court orders to block or remove illegal content. Section 14 can also apply to the promotion or distribution of gambling-related content.
