Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has revealed it blocked more than 13,000 URLs linked to illegal gambling websites during the opening stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Ministry confirmed it took action against a total of 13,888 URLs across the period running from 1 to 18 June, covering the lead-up and first week of the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup kicked off on 11 June and is scheduled to run through to 19 July, making it one of the longest and most high-profile betting events of the year.
Blocking orders were issued against a mixture of websites, social media pages, and other URLs, in line with directives from Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
MDES Deputy Minister Bunthida Somchai confirmed the use of artificial intelligence in the crackdown, highlighting the technology’s role in identifying and analysing illegal content at scale.
“Over the past 18 days, more than 13,000 items have been blocked by using AI technology to detect and analyse social media websites related to online gambling,” Bunthida Somchai said.
“At the same time, we would like to warn the public to be careful of publishing content that is considered illegal on digital media and social media, especially among websites related to gambling.”
Thailand’s actions reflect a broader international concern, as several major European regulators also raised alarms about black market operators ahead of the competition getting underway.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority announced it would intensify monitoring of advertising throughout the tournament and wrote to all licensees reminding them of applicable marketing rules.
The Belgian Gaming Commission similarly issued a reminder to licensees about rules and regulations covering bonuses and advertising, while the Malta Gaming Authority urged licensees to maintain “heightened vigilance” of suspicious betting activity.
Concerns about illegal gambling during the World Cup extended beyond regulators into the private sector, with Entain publishing research exposing the scale of unregulated gambling promotion on social media consumed by young people in the UK.
The Entain report identified more than 30 unregulated gambling websites with UK-facing promotional activity, including several well-known crypto casinos operating outside of licensed frameworks.
Entain also warned that illegal operations would likely increase in line with the surge in betting interest that typically accompanies a FIFA World Cup, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing regulators globally.
