As the 2026 Fifa World Cup kicked off yesterday, the betting that has become part and parcel of football-watching culture has already commenced. As in previous World Cups, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) estimates punters will spend 47 billion baht on betting.
As with previous tournaments, news of crackdowns has caught the national headlines.
This year, the authorities are using AI for the first time to help detect illegal websites, enabling faster action to block sites and social media accounts that promote betting activities. Police on Wednesday dismantled a major online gambling network ahead of the World Cup, arresting 19 suspects linked to the Ole777.com website and tracing a network of mule accounts -- the website alone generated at least 1 billion baht in transactions. Separately, the Technology Crime Suppression Centre raided three locations in Sa Kaeo province linked to six major gambling websites, arresting seven administrators and seizing computers, laptops, mobile phones and account records.
Before that, between Oct 1, 2025 and May 20, 2026, police blocked more than 717,000 URLs linked to gambling activities on platforms including Facebook, Line and TikTok.
While AI raises hopes of a better crackdown, law enforcers have a new headache. According to the Royal Thai Police, online gambling operators have shifted from traditional mule accounts to more sophisticated financial channels, including corporate accounts, PayPal services, cross-border intermediaries and cryptocurrencies.
This transboundary, more sophisticated gambling aligns with a transformation in the Fifa World Cup model itself. For the 2026 edition, Fifa signed a contract with Betano -- an online sports betting brand -- as an official tournament supporter.
The global governing body for football also made a deal with Stats Perform to run livestreamed matches, and a separate deal covering in-play betting data. That raises questions about Fifa's own code of ethics, which bans betting on matches. In practice, these connections mean football betting will become more mainstream and highly accessible.
Successive governments in Thailand have launched campaigns against football gambling -- without satisfactory results. As with previous major tournaments, these online websites regroup and quickly open new platforms. Access to virtual private networks (VPNs) also allows the younger generation and gamblers to reach betting sites.
Perhaps governments and related authorities need to be more specific and target vulnerable groups such as low-income earners and young gamblers.
The solutions are not just police crackdowns or cat-and-mouse law enforcement. A systematic and consistent effort -- not just a flash in the pan -- is required to educate students about the impact of gambling addiction. There should be counselling services for gambling-addicted youths, or even their parents, to help cope with this problem.
The current World Cup is a good time for the government, as well as families, to start coping with football betting. The unfriendly broadcast times, as well as subscription fees, are likely to screen young children out of accessing the games. It is now the duty of government and society to introduce the love of sport -- not betting -- to our young viewers.
