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Liberia’s National Lottery Authority (NLA) and Seven Blue Ltd, the company it partnered with in May to build a digital licensing platform for non-resident gaming operators, are now locked in a public dispute over who actually has the authority to license operators in the country.
The fight broke out in September 2026 after the NLA issued a Notice of Default against the Delaware-registered company, accusing it of acting as an unauthorised licensing intermediary. Seven Blue, operating under the name Liberia Online Gaming and Casino Commission, fired back days later with a notice claiming the NLA’s actions were unlawful and that it held official government approval to operate.
How the partnership began
In May, the NLA announced an agreement with Seven Blue Ltd to implement a centralized digital licensing system aimed at non-resident operators offering gaming services in Liberia. This followed the launch of its online gaming framework last November.
According to the Authority at the time, the platform was designed to replace manual, disjointed approval processes with structured digital licensing, oversight, and compliance management.
The system was pitched as supporting real-time verification of applicants, a unified database of licensed entities, and continuous post-licensing monitoring of operator activity. The NLA said non-resident operators would apply through the platform, submit compliance documentation, and meet conditions set by the Authority before approval, with the framework rolled out in stages.
The initiative was also framed as a way to boost state revenue from offshore gambling activity connected to the local market.
The NLA’s September reversal
Last Thursday (Sep 10), the NLA issued a Notice of Default, Administrative Directive, and Demand to Cease and Desist against Seven Blue Ltd along with its associated entities.
The regulator said Seven Blue had issued and sold gaming licences in its own name and under a fictitious “Liberia Online Gaming and Casino Commission” without NLA authorisation.
It also accused the company of collecting licensing fees through private accounts rather than the official NLA transitory account at Guaranty Trust Bank, misrepresenting itself as the regulator and licensee of gaming operations in Liberia, and failing to keep proper records on issued licences and fee collection.
The NLA further said Seven Blue had no required operational presence in Monrovia.
It gave Seven Blue 48 hours to acknowledge in writing that only the NLA has authority to issue gaming licences in Liberia, cease all use of the NLA name, seal and flag, stop using the fictitious commission brand, submit a complete inventory of all licences claimed to be issued, direct all licensees to remit outstanding fees to the official NLA account, and provide complete transitory account statements.
Director General Hon. Peter L. Solo said the NLA “cannot permit unauthorized intermediaries to collect public funds or to misrepresent themselves as regulators.”
The NLA also offered protection to operators who paid fees to Seven Blue in good faith, saying they could apply directly to the NLA for licence reissuance on terms to be determined by the Authority.
Seven Blue claims documentary proof of official authorization
Seven Blue responded on September 15, 2026 with an “Important Notice” published on LinkedIn under the Liberia Online Gaming and Casino Commission brand.
The company claimed its website had been affected by “unauthorised interference” and that the matter had been brought to competent governmental authorities, including the Office of the President of Liberia.
The statement said “certain individuals appear to be acting beyond their lawful authority in an attempt to undermine the Commission and its regulatory framework for private interests,” and maintained that the Commission holds official governmental approvals authorizing it to regulate the sector and issue gaming licenses.
Seven Blue also pointed to a separate agreement it says was signed on March 31, 2026 by the same individual and Liberia’s Minister of Finance, along with an April 2, 2026 Facebook post it says shows the individual publicly acknowledging the partnership.
Among the documents Seven Blue shared on LinkedIn: an appointment letter dated November 7, 2025, which the company says was signed by NLA Director General Peter L. Solo, granting Seven Blue “full and unrestricted authority” to act on behalf of the NLA in promoting the licensing framework and facilitating partnerships.
Seven Blue also shared a second document dated March 2026, which it says carries signatures from both Solo and NLA Board Chairman Prince Gbieu, confirming continued cooperation.
A Facebook post from April 2, 2026, in which Seven Blue says NLA officials publicly acknowledged the partnership, remains live and viewable.
iGamingToday has not independently verified the authenticity of the letters shared on LinkedIn, though the company’s account is consistent with public reporting from May, when multiple outlets, including a now-deleted NLA announcement, covered the original Seven Blue partnership.
Separately, iGamingToday confirmed that gaming.nla.gov.lr, the site Seven Blue says was named as the official licensing platform in its appointment letter, is no longer active. Seven Blue Ltd is a Delaware-registered company, as the NLA’s September notice states.
What remains unresolved is why a partnership that was signed, publicly announced, and presented at an official ceremony in May is now being characterized by the NLA as unauthorized in September, and whether the individuals who signed and endorsed the original agreement remain with the Authority. Neither the NLA nor Seven Blue has directly addressed that gap.
Image credit: By blk24ga, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56674059
