Thailand cracks down on betting during World Cup

• The Thai government took down thousands of illegal betting websites during the World Cup
• Law enforcement detained suspects and blocked the access to gambling websites and URLs
• During the popular soccer tournament, the Thai police cracked down betting networks with combined value of more than $600m

The FIFA World Cup this year attracted significant betting action in markets across the globe.

While licensed and regulated companies recorded an uptick, the black market soared too and Thailand was no exception.

Thai police arrests suspect, takes down bookmakers and illegal betting websites

Newly released report highlights the ongoing dedication of Thai authorities against illegal online gambling.

The crackdown intensified during the recent World Cup, resulting in the arrest of thousands of gamblers, blocking illegal gambling websites and the takedown of betting operations valued at more than $600m.

Police General Thana Chuwong, the Deputy National Police Chief and Director of the Royal Thai Police’s Information Technology Crime Suppression Center, who was recently quoted by The Nation, acknowledged the significant efforts of law enforcement against illegal gambling during the World Cup.

According to Chuwong, during the World Cup, between June 6 and July 19, 2026, a total of 8,181 online gamblers were arrested.

Moreover, the law enforcement crackdown on soccer betting resulted in the arrest of operators tied to 617 bookmakers and 4,576 illegal gambling websites.

Concerningly, the value of illegal gambling and betting websites during the World Cup was an estimated 20.5bn baht, or a whopping $605.8m.

A major part of the World Cup illegal betting crackdown has taken place since the start of this month.

Per Chuwong, law enforcement detained operators suspected of being in charge of 137 online gambling websites.

The soccer betting crackdown resulted in the blocking of 557,924 URLs, and the arrest of 325 people suspected of illegal gambling.

According to the recent report, the Thai government plans to intensify its efforts against illegal gambling and online betting.

The illegal online gambling vertical will be the prime target of a new Online Gambling Suppression Center established to specifically combat such activities.

The effort will be led by the Royal Thai Police, which will collaborate with the Bank of Thailand to block payment routes to online gambling and betting.

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