DE ADVANCES JOINT EFFORTS AGAINST ONLINE GAMBLING

DE Ministry strengthens cooperation with anti-gambling networks and civil society organizations to implement proactive measures against online gambling and illegal websites, encouraging public participation and working with digital platforms to restrict access to gambling-related content.

          On 5 October 2026, Mr. Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DE), together with Ms. Chomparee Chompurat, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the DE Ministry, held discussions with the Stop Gambling Foundation, the New Generation Against Gambling Network, the Youth Health Promotion Network, and the Children, Youth and Family Foundation on measures to address online gambling. The meeting was attended by Mr. Thanakorn Komkrit, Secretary-General of the Stop Gambling Foundation, along with representatives of civil society and youth networks, at Meeting Room 203, 2nd Floor, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and via an online meeting platform.

          During the discussions, anti-gambling networks presented proposals and exchanged views on preventing and addressing online gambling, particularly measures to reduce access to gambling websites and protect children, young people, and the general public from potential harm. The DE Ministry expressed its readiness to consider these proposals when developing relevant policies and operational measures.

          The DE Minister said the Ministry places great importance on addressing online gambling and welcomes closer cooperation with civil society organizations and anti-gambling networks. He emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for public participation by encouraging people to report information, suspicious activities, and personal experiences related to online gambling. Such information will be collected to support monitoring and further action by relevant authorities.

The proposed cooperation with civil society networks focuses on four key areas:

          1. Encouraging public and youth participation
          The DE Ministry will establish mechanisms and reporting channels that allow people of all ages and backgrounds to share information, report suspicious activities, and describe experiences involving online gambling. This will enable government agencies to use the information for faster monitoring and prevention.

          2. Establishing a working group for information collection and analysis
          A dedicated working group will collect and analyze information and experiences reported by the public. The findings will be used to coordinate with digital platforms, including TikTok and Meta, to support monitoring efforts and will be forwarded to the Royal Thai Police for further action within its legal authority.

          3. Strengthening cooperation with search engine platforms
          The Ministry will coordinate with search engine providers to implement proactive measures aimed at reducing access to online gambling websites and related content through digital search services.

          4. Integrating cooperation with relevant government agencies
          The DE Ministry will work with agencies including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, and national security authorities to raise awareness and strengthen digital literacy regarding online gambling risks, particularly among children, young people, and students, while promoting safer use of social media.

          The DE Ministry has continuously implemented measures to restrict the dissemination of illegal online content, including websites and platforms associated with online gambling. These efforts combine information provided by the Royal Thai Police with the Ministry’s proactive measures, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and identify gambling websites, as well as channels for the public to report suspicious activities.

          During fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 – September 2026), court orders were issued to block a total of 835,207 URLs associated with online gambling, comprising 749,546 URLs identified through the DE Ministry’s proactive measures and 85,661 URLs based on information provided by the Royal Thai Police.

          In addition, the DE Ministry coordinated with digital platforms to block another 109,868 URLs, bringing the total number of online gambling-related URLs blocked to 945,075.

          “Addressing online gambling and other illegal URLs cannot be accomplished by any single agency. It requires cooperation from all sectors, particularly the public, whose reports and information play a crucial role in identifying suspicious activities.

          “The Government will use this information to develop more effective monitoring systems and strengthen coordination with digital platforms and relevant agencies to ensure that measures to prevent and address online gambling are implemented quickly and efficiently,” the DE Minister concluded.