Liberia's lottery regulator says Regulation 005 is gazetted: real-time transaction monitoring, prediction-market licences and new GGR levies

What Regulation 005 requires

In a press statement dated October 22, reported by the Liberian Observer, the NLA said the regulation covers online gaming, digital lottery services and mobile-money transactions. Director General Peter L. Solo said the sector was changing rapidly, with "digital platforms, online lottery services, and mobile-money ecosystems reshaping how people play."

Licensed operators and official partners must connect to a Central Lottery Management System (CLMS) for real-time transaction monitoring. They have 180 days to connect, a period the Board may shorten.

Under the regulation, operators must report material data breaches and system failures within 24 hours and keep financial and compliance records for at least five years. Directors, partners and owners of at least 10% of a licensee face fit-and-proper checks, including disclosure of politically exposed persons.

Gambling ads may not target minors, promise guaranteed wins or present gambling as a way out of financial hardship. They are barred from media where more than 30% of the expected audience is under 18, and paid influencers must disclose their ties to operators.

Prediction markets and fees

Prediction markets must be licensed or run through a partnership ratified by the NLA Board. Contracts on a named person's death, the commission of a crime or the outcome of a Liberian election are prohibited. The fee schedule, published by the NLA in August under Resolution No. 005, sets the prediction-market operator licence at US$80,000. The schedule lists the same US$80,000 fee for online casino and slot operators and for digital scratch cards. Online sports betting stays at US$90,000.

The same schedule lists a Good Cause levy and a Social Contribution levy, each up to 1% of GGR as set by the Board, with a minimum of US$25,000 and a maximum of US$100,000 per operator per year. The minimum penalty for breaches rises from US$3,000 to US$5,000.