The Prime Minister, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, has expressed his concerns on how online gambling websites are so easily accessible by children, making him order a strict suppression of illegal websites.
Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri revealed that the Prime Minister, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, has expressed his concerns over online gambling websites, which have now become easier for children and youth to reach through advertisements made specifically to target children and youth.
Studies found that gamblers are more likely to be addicted and lose more money to online gambling than offline one because of low restraint. Therefore, all parties should join forces to seriously suppress gambling websites, Anucha said.
The Prime Minister has called on related agencies, both governmental and private, to help suppress these illegal websites using stringent measures, citing research on the behavior of online gamblers, who tend to become addicted and lose more money than through conventional gambling.
In the past week, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, in a collaborative effort with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and the Royal Thai Police, has asked all internet service providers and mobile carriers to block access to online gambling websites within 15 days, after receiving court’s order.
So far, the court has ordered access to 1,202 websites to be blocked for online gambling. Failure to block access to these websites will result in legal consequences for the service providers.