Thai ex-MP questions online gambling crackdown, saying 29 of 30 sites he checked were still reachable

Former Democrat Party MP Sirichoke Sopha has challenged the effectiveness of Thailand's online gambling enforcement, saying that 29 of 30 betting websites he checked could still be accessed. His comments come after the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry reported that it had restricted 945,075 gambling-related links.

In a social media post, Sirichoke said major platforms remained reachable despite the large number of blocked addresses. He also claimed that five well-known gambling platforms were still available through their original addresses and together drew 1.43 million visits a month from Thailand. The findings rest on the sites he said he checked and are not an independent review of every link counted in the ministry's total.

A central point of his criticism is the difference between the ministry's figure and what users can actually reach. The ministry counts gambling-related links, while Sirichoke asked how many of those were main websites rather than secondary addresses or backup pages. He suggested authorities might be restricting minor links while leaving core platforms online.

Sirichoke called on DES Minister Chaichanok Chidchob to explain why prominent platforms were still available. He tied the question to the minister's earlier opposition to a proposed entertainment complex that would include a casino, arguing that online gambling poses a greater threat.

The former MP also urged the government to investigate the flow of money linked to online gambling, including possible transfers through cryptocurrency. He said investigators should establish who funds and benefits from protection arrangements. His reference to such arrangements was a call for inquiry and not an established finding that they exist.

Sirichoke additionally pointed to Shuffle.com, which restricted access from Thailand after he previously raised allegations linking the operation to an MP. He suggested the restriction may have been meant to avoid further scrutiny. That motive is his interpretation, and the reported sequence of events does not establish why the platform imposed the restriction.