Thailand tightens restrictions on betting during the World Cup.

This year's FIFA World Cup drew a substantial amount of betting activity worldwide. Licensed and regulated companies saw an increase, but the black market also surged, with Thailand being no exception.

A newly released report showcases the persistent commitment of Thai authorities in tackling illegal online gambling. During the recent World Cup, their crackdown intensified, leading to the arrest of thousands of gamblers, the blocking of illegal gambling websites, and the dismantling of betting operations worth over $600 million. Police General Thana Chuwong, Deputy National Police Chief and Director of the Royal Thai Police’s Information Technology Crime Suppression Center, praised the significant efforts of law enforcement against illegal gambling during the World Cup, as reported by The Nation. Between June 6 and July 19, 2026, a total of 8,181 online gamblers were apprehended, according to Chuwong. In addition, the crackdown on soccer betting led to the arrest of individuals linked to 617 bookmakers and 4,576 illegal gambling websites. Alarmingly, during the World Cup, illegal gambling and betting websites were estimated to have a value of 20.5 billion baht, or around $605.8 million. Most of the recent efforts to tackle World Cup-related illegal betting took place at the beginning of this month. Chuwong noted that law enforcement detained operators suspected of running 137 online gambling websites. The efforts to curb soccer betting resulted in the blocking of 557,924 URLs and the arrest of 325 people suspected of illegal gambling. As per the recent report, the Thai government plans to intensify its fight against illegal gambling and online betting. Illegal online gambling will be the key focus of a new Online Gambling Suppression Center established specifically to combat such challenges. This initiative will be led by the Royal Thai Police, in collaboration with the Bank of Thailand, to disrupt payment routes to online gambling and betting.