Omer Mohaban, NLA: “Liberia has built a legal, regulatory, technological, and diplomatic ecosystem specifically designed to support prediction market operators at the highest level”

Adv. Omer Mohaban, Legal Exclusive Representative of the NLA, discusses how Liberia is positioning itself as a global hub for prediction markets through a comprehensive sovereign licensing and banking framework.

Exclusive interview.- As prediction markets move from experimental platforms into regulated, revenue-generating ecosystems, jurisdictions are beginning to define how these products fit within existing gaming and financial frameworks. In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Adv. Omer Mohaban, legal exclusive representative of the National Lottery Authority of the Republic of Liberia (NLA), outlines the country’s strategy to position itself as a sovereign licensing hub for prediction market operators, detailing its regulatory model, banking and compliance infrastructure, and the safeguards designed to ensure market integrity, transparency and player protection.

What inspired the NLA to authorise prediction markets formally, and how will this position Liberia in the global online gaming industry?

Prediction markets – platforms where you can bet on future events – have evolved from niche speculative forums into rapidly expanding economic ecosystems with growing institutional engagement and mainstream adoption. (Encyclopedia Britannica). Revenues in the prediction market industry are estimated at roughly US$2bn annually today and forecast to expand by fivefold to more than US$10bn by 2030. (bloomberg.com). Kalshi alone recently raised US$1bn at an approximately US$11bn valuation, with weekly trading volumes exceeding US$1bn. (wsj.com) 

Liberia is the global hub for prediction markets and is positioning itself as the home of prediction markets.

Positioning Liberia as the Preeminent Sovereign Licensing Jurisdiction – In this context, the Liberian regulatory framework represents the only sovereign jurisdiction today offering fully recognised, international licences for the operation of prediction market platforms, covering both B2B and B2C activity, under conditions that align with global standards of legal certainty and operational infrastructure.

This sovereign licensing regime is distinguished by several critical features:

1- Genuine state sovereignty:

Liberia is a recognised sovereign state with established governmental institutions and legislative authority – unlike quasi-jurisdictions, micro-enclaves, or undefined territories without substantive state infrastructure.

2 – Official governmental domain:

Licensing and registry documentation are issued through an official .gov domain, providing a verifiable public record and eliminating the risk of fake credentials.

3 – Complete corporate foundation:

Licence issuance includes local company incorporation, with a full suite of statutory records – Certificate of Incorporation, corporate registers, and compliance documentation – establishing clear legal personhood from day one.

4 – Banking infrastructure:

Operators receive a local banking relationship with SWIFT connectivity and online banking in both EUR and USD, ensuring full operational capability for international transactions and settlement.

5 – Physical and compliance presence:

The licensing package includes a dedicated local office and an appointed local Compliance/AML Officer, embedding regulatory accountability within the jurisdiction and aligning with international risk-management expectations.

6 – Industry integration:

This structure has been accepted by leading payment solution providers and platform partners in the global ecosystem, demonstrating practical market acceptance and operational viability for licensed operators.

7 – Operational readiness:

Operators are positioned to launch and scale prediction market services from day one with full access to the necessary legal, banking, and compliance infrastructure.

We’re also happy to share that we’re in daily contact with leading platform providers that deliver the full end-to-end infrastructure required to launch a prediction market operation from zero.

As a result, our clients benefit from direct and fast access to the largest network in the industry, covering every relevant service provider – enabling them to operate at the highest level currently available worldwide, from day one.

By offering a comprehensive, sovereignly backed licence – comprising legal, banking, compliance, and operational foundations that are absent in alternative offshore jurisdictions — Liberia is uniquely positioned to become the primary global hub for legitimised prediction market operations, supporting both B2B and B2C businesses at the highest level of regulatory credibility.

How does the framework support B2C/B2B innovation, scalability, and safe operations for licensed platforms?

Let’s be as clear and honest as possible here, please: Is there any difference between betting on the winner of a basketball game through a website called ‘Prediction Market’ or through a website that says it’s ‘Sportbetting’? 

Absolutely not.

Therefore, the laws and regulatory framework – including the governing legislation, and the internal procedures — is the same for Prediction Markets. 

As a result, the framework enables both B2C and B2B operations to perform safe, regulated market activity under a stable, enforceable licensing regime.

How does Liberia’s model compare to Polymarket, and what unique advantages does it offer global operators?

Daily, we are approached by platforms offering products identical to Polymarket. From a pure operational or technological perspective, the picture is broadly the same.

The difference is not the platform — it is the tools, the instruments.

Liberia has built a legal, regulatory, technological, and diplomatic ecosystem specifically designed to support prediction market operators at the highest level — and we continue to expand this network daily, with the clear objective of positioning Liberia as the global capital of prediction markets.

Unlike Polymarket, which operates under regulatory ambiguity, Liberia offers global operators something fundamentally different: Clarity, stability, and full operational readiness from day one.

Liberia provides a complete package, including: A properly issued international licence under a verifiable government .gov domain to avoid fakes; a locally incorporated company with a full statutory documentation set; a dedicated and exclusive local business address and office; a local bank account with international functionality; a local Compliance and AML Officer; and direct access to a wide network of industry service providers and platform partners.

In practical terms, this means operators are not left to ‘piece together’ critical infrastructure. Everything required to launch and scale a professional prediction market operation is available immediately, opening an entire world of compliant global opportunities from day one.

‘Unlike Polymarket, which operates under regulatory ambiguity, Liberia offers global operators something fundamentally different: Clarity, stability, and full operational readiness from day one.’

Adv. Omer Mohaban, legal exclusive representative of the NLA.

How is banking/payment integration (e.g., SWIFT) implemented for prediction platforms, benefiting operators and bettors?

Banking and payment integration for prediction platforms is implemented in Liberia in the same manner as under any other licensed gaming operation.

As part of the licensing package, the licensed company receives a local bank account with full SWIFT connectivity, online banking access, and the ability to operate in both EUR and USD.

In addition, operators gain access to a broad network of dozens of payment solution providers, allowing each platform to select the most suitable partners based on the jurisdictions they target, the preferred payment methods, the required integration model, and their operational needs.

This creates a major commercial advantage: while crypto remains an option, many players still prefer funding accounts using fiat currency. Having structured banking and payment rails in place significantly expands the operator’s addressable market, enabling access to a much wider global player base.

What safeguards ensure market integrity, transparency, and player protection in regulated prediction markets?

Market integrity in regulated prediction markets is protected through the same core safeguards used across licensed gaming — but with one critical additional layer that is unique to prediction products.

Baseline gaming safeguards (also applied to prediction markets):

Independent testing and certification of platform mechanics where relevant; controls against manipulation, bots, and abusive trading behaviour; AML/KYC, monitoring, and responsible gaming controls; audit trails, record retention, and dispute handling.

The additional ‘prediction-market’ safeguard: event and question integrity.

In prediction markets, the wording of the question is part of the product.

A market can be ‘technically valid’ yet still be unfair if the event definition is drafted in a way that misleads ordinary users — through hidden qualifiers, fine-print conditions, or ambiguous settlement criteria.

A simple ‘Yes/No’ market can be engineered to trap users by inserting a single word, clause, or technical requirement that changes the meaning of the event in practice.

A real-world style example: users may reasonably think they are betting on whether a conflict will occur, but the market’s settlement rule might require a specific formal act (e.g., a parliamentary declaration of war). If that formal act never happens, the market settles ‘No’ even though, in practical terms, fighting clearly occurred. That may be legally defensible on paper, but it is not transparent or fair to the average participant.

Accordingly, a regulated framework must require (and Liberia does require as a matter of regulatory expectation) that operators:

1- Define events in plain, objective, and verifiable terms;

2 – Publish clear settlement sources and criteria upfront;

3 – Avoid drafting that is misleading, overly technical, or reasonably disputable;

4 – Apply internal compliance review and, where needed, obtain prior approval for market wording/structure;

5 – Maintain a clear escalation path for disputes and resolution.

The practical effect is straightforward: the operator cannot hide behind clever drafting. Markets must be designed to be understandable, auditable, and fairly settled, which strengthens integrity, transparency, and player protection.

How will prediction markets drive data insights, efficiency, and responsible gaming in Liberia, with operators’ roles?

Prediction markets can meaningfully improve data quality, market efficiency, and responsible gaming outcomes in Liberia because they generate a uniquely rich, real-time signal: prices and volumes that reflect collective expectations, updated continuously as new information arrives.

What outcomes does NLA seek from SiGMA Dubai participation, enhancing Liberia’s international wagering visibility?

SiGMA Dubai is a strategic opportunity for the NLA to reinforce Liberia’s position as a serious, internationally oriented licensing jurisdiction, and to expand its visibility across the global wagering and prediction markets ecosystem.