On October 1, 2024, the Thai cabinet acknowledged the recommendations proposed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to prevent corruption related to online gambling. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) has been assigned as the lead agency to collaborate with various relevant agencies to reach a consensus on the necessary amendments and updates to laws related to online gambling.

In assigning the MDES this role, the cabinet emphasized the importance of the following key items:

• Establishment of a national committee. The national committee will be chaired by a minister and will comprise relevant agencies, including policymaking bodies, technology agencies, frequency management agencies, law enforcement agencies, and other experts. The committee’s primary responsibility will be to consider amending and updating laws related to online gambling.
• Urgent action on online gambling. As online gambling has been deemed a serious issue requiring urgent action, joint policies will be developed among relevant agencies such as the Royal Thai Police, the Bank of Thailand, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office to elevate the importance of online gambling issues.
• Public awareness and law enforcement. Public awareness campaigns are to be conducted to educate the public about the risks and legal consequences of online gambling, and laws against online gambling and related financial crimes are to be strictly enforced.
• Compliance with the Cybersecurity Act. It is necessary to ensure strict compliance with the Cybersecurity Act B.E. 2562 (2019). At the same time, government data systems are to be moved to cloud computing for enhanced data security.

Next Steps

The MDES is tasked with summarizing the results of the related discussions, actions taken, and overall opinions and submitting the summary to the cabinet secretariat for further presentation to the cabinet.

These measures aim to address and mitigate the risks associated with online gambling and related corruption. Stakeholders are encouraged to stay informed about the progress of these amendments and participate in forthcoming public awareness campaigns.

For more information on these developments, please contact Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh at [email protected], Nopparat Lalitkomon at [email protected], or Napassorn Lertussavavivat at [email protected].