Bangkok - Thailand will ban live broadcasts of World Cup games in prisons in a bid to prevent soccer gambling among inmates, an official said on Saturday.

But prisoners would be permitted to watch pre-recorded games of the 64-match tournament, which kicks off in Germany next month, Thai Corrections Department spokesperson Athicha Kiewzen said.

"They will be allowed to watch tape-recorded tournaments so that they already know the results and they cannot bet," she said.

The announcement follows reports in Brazil's media this week that recent prison riots were due to inmates' demands that they be allowed to watch the World Cup matches.