The center is named the "ศูนย์ป้องกันและปราบปรามการลักลอบเล่นการพนันทายผลฟุตบอลโลก 2026"1.
Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiwphan, deputy police inspector general and deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, gave the figures on 15 June 20261. He said the force is running a "3 ตัด" approach, meaning cut websites, cut finance and cut the online gambling network cycle1. Officers blocked 128 websites and URLs linked to gambling1. Investigators said they had traced more than 2,150 million baht in circulation through gambling networks and were still following financial trails toward organizers, financiers, mule accounts and beneficiaries1.
The cases break down by type of offense:
| Offense | Cases | Suspects |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing World Cup betting | 64 | 80 |
| Illegally betting on the World Cup | 278 | 279 |
| Other online gambling | 254 | 270 |
| Total | 596 | 629 |
Trirong said the aim is not only to arrest small-scale bettors but to dismantle the structure of online gambling networks, including by tracing money, seizing assets and prosecuting people behind the operations1.
"ฟุตบอลโลกควรเป็นมหกรรมกีฬา ไม่ใช่มหกรรมการพนัน สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติจะเดินหน้าปราบปรามอย่างต่อเนื่องตลอดการแข่งขัน โดยใช้มาตรการรุก 3 ตัด, ตัดเว็บ ตัดการเงิน และตัดวงจร เพื่อปกป้องประชาชนและเยาวชนไม่ให้ตกเป็นเหยื่อของการพนันออนไลน์"
The police asked the public not to take part in gambling in any form, not to accept payment to open mule accounts, not to transfer money for others and not to invite others to bet1. They said tips can be given at any police station or through the 191 or 1599 hotlines1.
What it means for players
Thailand's police are treating World Cup betting as a target for the whole tournament, and the figures cover both people organizing bets and people placing them1. The 278 cases against people who bet illegally show that players, not only operators, are being charged. The police statement also names mule accounts and money transfers as part of the network they are pursuing, so people who lend their bank accounts or move money for others can be drawn into a case1. The 128 blocked sites and URLs mean some betting platforms may become unreachable from Thailand1. Penalties for gambling offenses in Thailand are covered in our guide to what happens if you are caught gambling in Thailand, and the legal position on wagering is set out in can I gamble in Thailand and can I bet on sports in Thailand. For how betting rules differ across the region, see sports betting in Asia.
What happens next
The Royal Thai Police said suppression will continue throughout the World Cup and that financial tracing is ongoing to reach people behind the networks, including financiers, mule accounts and beneficiaries1. No further dates or targets have been reported.
