Thailand Blocks Shuffle.com as Justice Ministry Opens Inquiry

Thailand has blocked the crypto casino Shuffle.com nationwide and its Justice Ministry has opened an inquiry, in a case that tests how far a foreign gambling licence protects an operator that serves Thai players. The Digital Economy and Society (DES) ministry said on 9 October that it had blocked the site, according to a Gambling.com report updated on 19 October that cites Bangkok Post and MGR Online coverage. The case matters for anyone reading about crypto casino guides and wondering what Thai law says about them.

What has been reported so far

DES Permanent Secretary Pachara Anantasilp said the site is registered and hosted overseas, so authorities could only block access from inside Thailand. He said that requires a court order and coordination with internet service providers. The reporting does not say who requested or issued the order. Separately, the Justice Minister, Rutthaphon Naowarat, ordered the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to open an inquiry and prepare to call witnesses, per MGR Online on 8 October. The scope of that inquiry has not been described publicly in the sources reviewed.

Visitors from Thailand now see a notice saying the site can no longer accept players from the country for legal reasons. The reports do not include any statement from Shuffle.com itself.

The Justice Ministry’s position on foreign licences

On 7 October the Justice Ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre said that holding a foreign casino licence does not by itself place an operation outside Thai law. It pointed to Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Criminal Code and to the Gambling Act of 1935. In plain terms, the ministry’s stated view is that offering gambling to people in Thailand can be an offence in Thailand even if the operator is licensed in another jurisdiction.

Political questions are unresolved

Public questions have been raised in Thailand about who ordered the block and about business links to the company behind the site. Those are claims and responses reported by the press, and the Gambling.com report states that no court or agency has made a finding against any individual. We are not repeating individual allegations here because none has been established.

What this means for crypto casino players in Thailand

Paying in cryptocurrency does not change the legal analysis. Online gambling remains unlawful for Thai residents under the Gambling Act of 1935, and the casino and entertainment-complex bill that has been debated is reported to exclude online gambling. A foreign licence such as Curacao or Anjouan is a regulatory permission from another country, not permission to serve Thai residents. Blocking by internet providers also does not remove funds already held on a platform, so balances on any site that stops accepting a country can be hard to recover. Our explainer on whether crypto gambling is legal in Thailand covers the baseline rules, and the DES ministry publishes its announcements at mdes.go.th.

If a licensed offshore casino can be blocked in Thailand overnight, should players treat a foreign licence as protection at all?

Frequently Asked Questions

Published by SafeGamingSites. For iGaming guest posts and niche-edit backlinks on vetted gambling and casino sites, see iGaming Backlink at igamingbacklink.com. For iGaming SEO audits, link acquisition and content programmes, see Mediardx at mediardx.com.