Thailand targets illegal gambling with Meta and TikTok
A four-point government strategy combines data sharing, public reporting, search engine cooperation and youth education.
Key takeaways:
- Thailand plans to work with Meta and TikTok to identify and remove illegal gambling accounts and advertisements.
- Thai courts ordered more than 830,000 URLs linked to illegal gambling blocked between October 2025 and September 2026. Cooperation with digital platforms led to the blocking of more than 100,000 additional links.
- The government’s four-point strategy includes data analysis, public reporting channels, search engine cooperation and education to protect young people.
- Thailand’s Consumer Council sued Meta in June over scam advertisements, including gambling ads on Facebook, after receiving nearly 3,800 complaints linked to the platform between 2024 and March 2026.
Thailand.- The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has said that it plans to work directly with Meta, TikTok and search engines to restrict access to illegal online gambling and remove related content. The initiative expands the government’s enforcement approach beyond website blocking.
Illegal gambling in Thailand is estimated to be worth THB1.1tn (US$32.5bn) per year. Between October 2025 and September 2026, Thai courts ordered the blocking of 835,207 URLs and online content linked to illegal gambling, and over 100,000 more were blocked through cooperation with digital platforms.
After meetings with public health groups, youth organisations, and anti-gambling organisations, the Ministry has announced a four-point strategy. First, the government will create dedicated working groups to collect and analyse online data, which will then be shared with platforms like Meta and TikTok to help identify and remove illegal gambling accounts and ads. Second, official government channels will be set up so citizens can report illegal gambling activities and share suggestions. Third, authorities will partner with search engines, such as Google, to limit public access to illegal gambling sites. Finally, the DE Ministry will work across government departments to educate the public and protect young people from the dangers of gambling.
“Solving online gambling problems, including various illegal URLs, cannot be carried out by any single agency. It requires cooperation from all sectors, especially the people, who are an important force in reporting information and clues,” the ministry said in a statement.
Meta’s track record in this area remains mixed. In June, Thailand’s Consumer Council (TCC) filed a lawsuit against the company over scam advertisements, including gambling advertisements appearing on Facebook. The TCC reported receiving more than 6,100 complaints related to online purchases and digital services between 2024 and March 2026, with nearly 3,800 of those linked to Facebook.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- How is Thailand planning to tackle illegal online gambling? The government has outlined a four-point strategy covering online data analysis, public reporting channels, cooperation with search engines and public education focused on gambling risks.
- Why did Thailand’s Consumer Council sue Meta? In June, the council filed a lawsuit over scam advertisements, including gambling ads on Facebook. It reported nearly 3,800 complaints linked to Facebook between 2024 and March 2026.
