Do we have over 900k online casinos?

[fredericktaylor]

The Thai government has blocked an estimated 900,000 casino platforms, the Thai government is trying to be very good for its people. But those who are addicted to gambling will find the source of gambling in some way or the other, many will try to find suitable links for gambling using VPN. Meanwhile, according to the current situation, there are more anonymous and famous gambling platforms all over the world, but in the current situation, even if the Thai government takes the right steps, it will be difficult to remove the shadow of gambling from the minds of its people.

I think the initiative taken by the Thai government to blocked the casino platform is truly commendable. However, it will be difficult to control those who are operating casinos illegally because they know very well how to create a second way when one way is closed. It is true that those who are truly addicted to gambling will resort to any means to conduct gambling. If they do not exercise awareness on their own, it will be difficult for the government to completely control them.

[Russlenat]

Countries are blocking gambling-related domains. This is becoming a popular destination. We regularly see these bans in one country or another. But for someone who is very addicted to gambling, all the prohibitions look pretty ridiculous. Do governments need to start blocking all VPNs now? Russia is trying very hard to ban all VPNs in the country, but not for gambling reasons, but there are no good results in this either. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent someone who really wants something with barriers. As they say: "I see the goal, I see no obstacles."

The report only says they are blocking links to casinos, and as mentioned, that doesn't represent the actual number of casinos since it also includes mirror links. But actually that's not the most important question, the more important question is whether what they did resulted in fewer people accessing those casinos, I think that's the data we need to see.

[sompitonov]

I think the initiative taken by the Thai government to blocked the casino platform is truly commendable. However, it will be difficult to control those who are operating casinos illegally because they know very well how to create a second way when one way is closed. It is true that those who are truly addicted to gambling will resort to any means to conduct gambling. If they do not exercise awareness on their own, it will be difficult for the government to completely control them.

Combating such a vast number of casinos is incredibly difficult, and as you rightly pointed out players will inevitably seek out ways to gamble regardless. However, I believe that if regulators across different countries share successful strategies for shutting down casinos that refuse to play by the rules or pay taxes, the situation will likely improve albeit gradually rather than overnight. In any case, it is a worthwhile endeavor, even if it is challenging corrupt individuals within the system could interfere with the process, potentially slowing it down significantly.

[Iranus]

I do have a question though, blocking this casino, what about vpns access, some gamblers still use VPN to bypass the IP, it may not stop people from gambling.

URL blocking can be bypassed using any VPN does not render practice entirely useless. However I do not consider it any complete solution either. If one domain is blocked operator simply switch to another domain, mirror link or new promotional page. On the other hand attempting to block all VPN would negatively impact ordinary privacy conscious user as well.

In my view authority should focus on identifying repeat offenders, merely blocking access will not be effective. Action could also be taken against their payment channel and affiliate network. Furthermore financial activity of illegal operator need to be tracked. Same time tangible support is required for individual struggling with gambling addiction.

[letteredhub]

Online casinos know that they'll get blocked. Each one has 100s of domains. It's not like each one functions separately. They have the same infrastructure, name and the overall feeling is the same. But they get different addresses to avoid blocks.

They know enforcement against them isn't going to reach further then blocking them since they operate from abroad, so they play this cat and mouse game.

Its like having a nickname, though for online casinos they overdo it and you be shocked by how many domains just one casino may be having. Fair enough though, much of what makes casinos have these multiple domains are due to geolocation, with each government sanctioning for license in their jurisdiction it makes the situation of multiple domains unavoidable. But some domains are intended to avoid censorship and regulations.

[coin-investor]

The report only says they are blocking links to casinos, and as mentioned, that doesn't represent the actual number of casinos since it also includes mirror links. But actually that's not the most important question, the more important question is whether what they did resulted in fewer people accessing those casinos, I think that's the data we need to see.

Good point, mate, blocking and bringing the number of people addicted to gambling are two different things, the latter is the most important, even if gamblers can access those huge numbers of links.

If the government made an effort to educate and curb addiction, then the government succeeded in reducing the number of people addicted to gambling.

There are ways to still access those illegal casinos, gamblers can find a way, and there are always ways. The authorities know this, but they prefer to ignore it.

[Odusko]

I know the gambling industry is multi-billion-dollar and one of the top online industries, but do you think it's possible we have over 900k online casinos that include a mirror link?

The Thai government claimed

Thailand blocked access to 945,075 web addresses associated with online gambling during the 2026 fiscal year, which ran from October 2025 to September 2026.
The majority of the blocks, over 835,000, were enforced through court orders, with an additional 109,868 URLs blocked in cooperation with digital platforms.

Thailand blocks 945,075 online gambling links in fiscal 2026

And is Thailand the only country that can trace and block over 900k links of online casinos?

I don't want to go into asking AI, but I am sure that since you mentioned that there are 900,000 online casinos, along with the mirror sites of those casinos, this can be a very accurate figure, since we have some cryptocurrency casinos that have more than one mirror site; in fact, because of regulatory requirements in some countries, online casinos may have no choice than operating under mirror and main sites depending on the accessibility of the casino in such countries. But the question is how far such government actions can go in protecting the general welfare of citizens who are already addicted to gambling and will find any means to keep gambling.

[Ishicryptic]

Online casinos know that they'll get blocked. Each one has 100s of domains. It's not like each one functions separately. They have the same infrastructure, name and the overall feeling is the same. But they get different addresses to avoid blocks.

They know enforcement against them isn't going to reach further then blocking them since they operate from abroad, so they play this cat and mouse game.

Its like having a nickname, though for online casinos they overdo it and you be shocked by how many domains just one casino may be having. Fair enough though, much of what makes casinos have these multiple domains are due to geolocation, with each government sanctioning for license in their jurisdiction it makes the situation of multiple domains unavoidable. But some domains are intended to avoid censorship and regulations.

900k plus casinos seems a lot, although the gambling industry is growing due to it's profitablity but I don't know about such a high number but nothing is impossible if you're including illegal casinos here and there. Casino domains are understandable and if they count I believe that 900k is a reasonable number to consider, these casinos wants to stay in business for as long as possible even where they are restricted. On the part of gamblers in regions were gambling is restricted they will always find ways to bypass the restrictions so I think that instead of a total restrictions on gambling, governments should have strict regulations and sensitization about gambling addiction.

[aioc]

Thank you to all who participated in this discussion and poll. I thought Thailand was the only country that could block hundreds of thousands of casino links, but Indonesia is also doing it by blocking millions of illegal casino links. In summary, casinos' mirror sites make up most of the numbers and probably affiliate links, but I agree with many that even if they can block it, the people of Thailand can find a way to access these links.

Result of the poll:
Yes   - 2 (18.2%)
No   - 7 (63.6%)
Maybe   - 2 (18.2%)

Total Voters: 11