# Is buying a scratch card or lottery ticket haram?

*Gambling is haram, but a pound on the lottery is not*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jtyem-eee78/s/20/
- Date: 2020-09-22 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #183 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (2:05:10–2:06:56)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTYEM-eEe78&t=7510s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jtyem-eee78/

**Topics:** Money and finance; Entertainment, sport and leisure

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says gambling is haram because it is addictive and destroys families, but small stakes such as a scratch card or a pound on the lottery are not.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says gambling is haram, because gambling is highly addictive and destroys lives and families.

**Evidence, his words at 2:05:10:** “i gambling is haram but i've mentioned that is gambling generally because gambling is highly addictive and it destroys lives and it destroys families” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTYEM-eEe78&t=7510s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth adds a side note on gambling: he says gambling is haram because it is highly addictive and destroys lives, families and homes, and he condemns it and urges people to get help. Mufti says scratch cards, the lottery or putting a pound or two in a machine do not really fall under that form of gambling, even if in essence they are a gamble. He says one may call them not a good thing to do, but they are not haram. He then turns back to the chat.

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:05:10–2:06:56)

[2:05:09] if we film it is this the same [Laughter] anyway we'll speak about our mind in just a moment let's take some questions let's move on all right now just as a quick side note you know the whole thing on gambling i am i gambling is haram but i've mentioned that is gambling generally because gambling is highly addictive and it destroys lives and it destroys families it destroys homes and i do condem gambling and i advise people to kind of

[2:05:49] get help to to cure that but things like scratch cards or lottery or person playing a pound here or there or you know they're at some machines and they put in a these things do not really fall under that form of gambling although yes in essence it's a gamble two of a pound or a two or things like this but they are not haram they may one may say it's not a good thing to do but it's not haram that's that's what that ruling is but yeah many things can destroy families as uh in the comments it says cucumbers can destroy

[2:06:27] i'm sure they definitely can [Laughter] it won't be as easy maybe getting a replacement it's like so people let's take a few questions what about the facebook let me take a look here as well hardin brisby must be enjoying it adam rizvi

[2:06:55] addison ray is the only reason why tick tock is still alive i don't know who addison ray is i'll have to find out hmm right thoughts on the matasila yeah i've explained that the matazila were an ancient sect they don't really exist they haven't existed for something like six seven hundred years if not more they've been non-existent they were an extremist sect that were a kind of contradiction in the sense that they had highly extremist factors about them they were very

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment jTYEM-eEe78/s/20. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/jtyem-eee78/s/20/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.