DE has blocked over 673,000 gambling-related URLs in the past eight months as part of an intensified crackdown ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.
Ms.Nan Boontida Somchai, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy and Society, revealed that Mr.Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, has directed authorities to strengthen measures against threats to national security and social well-being. The policy includes intensified efforts to combat online crime and block illegal social media accounts, pages, websites, and URLs, particularly those related to online gambling.
Most recently, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) has continued blocking social media accounts, pages, and URLs linked to illegal gambling under court orders, while also working closely with digital platforms to remove such content.
During fiscal year 2026, from 1 October 2025 to 31 May 2026, a total of 673,699 gambling-related URLs were blocked over an eight-month period. Of these, 635,717 URLs were blocked under court orders, while 37,982 URLs involving scams and online gambling were removed through cooperation with digital platforms.
In May 2026 alone, authorities blocked 78,796 illegal gambling URLs, including 68,571 URLs under court orders and 10,225 URLs removed through platform cooperation.
Overall, the ministry blocked a total of 787,899 illegal social media accounts, pages, websites, and URLs during the same eight-month period. This included 732,521 items blocked under court orders and 55,378 items removed through coordination with platforms.
“The DE Ministry has intensified efforts to block URLs related to online gambling, particularly during the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will begin on 11 June. Minister Chaichanok has instructed authorities to closely monitor and aggressively block illegal gambling activities,” said Ms.Nan.
She also warned the public to be cautious when sharing content that may violate the law on digital platforms and social media, especially content linked to gambling websites and online scams. Even unintentional sharing of such content could be considered a violation of Section 14 of the Computer Crime Act.