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Is the Lottery Haram?

Buying lottery tickets is haram according to major fatwa bodies, because it is gambling. See the rulings on raffles, scratch cards, free draws and prizes.

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Short answer

Buying lottery tickets is haram according to every fatwa body we reviewed, because you pay for a chance to win money pooled from other players, which is maysir (gambling), forbidden in Qur'an 5:90. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, Ibn Baz, Ibn Uthaymin and Daruliftaa.com agree. Scholars differ only on charity raffles: SeekersGuidance (2023) and Sayyid al-Sistani allow buying a ticket purely as a donation, while Ibn Baz forbids it.

Lottery adverts are hard to miss: billboards with nine-figure jackpots, scratch cards at the checkout, and a friend at work collecting money for an office pool. It can feel harmless, especially when the ticket costs two dollars and the money supposedly funds schools. Many Muslims buy one without thinking, then wonder afterwards whether they did something wrong.

This guide explains why scholars treat the lottery as gambling, where they disagree (charity raffles and free draws), and what to do if you have already played or won.

Is the lottery haram in Islam?

Yes. The fatwa bodies and scholars we reviewed all rule that buying a lottery ticket is haram, because it is a form of gambling. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta states that "according to the opinion of the majority of scholars, lottery is haram," and that this "includes buying lottery tickets, participating in lottery games, selling lottery tickets, and accepting lottery winnings." Its reason is short: the lottery "is a form of gambling (maisir), which Islam strictly prohibits."

IslamQA (answer 98151, 2022) describes how it works: the player pays money "in return for nothing tangible or of real value – such as a ticket for five dollars," gets a number entered into a draw, and either wins the prize or loses the stake. "This is the essence of gambling," it says, so taking part is "definitively haraam" and the prize money is "haraam and impure wealth."

Why is the lottery considered gambling?

The lottery is gambling because every player stakes money on a chance result, and the winner is paid from the losers' money. The Qur'an names gambling (al-maysir) directly: "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful" (Qur'an 5:90).

Classical scholars defined gambling by this structure. SeekersGuidance quotes Ibn Abbas: "The risk of losing on both sides or putting something at stake from both sides (mukhatara) is gambling," and the Hanafi jurist Ibn Abidin, who explains that in qimar each player "may lose his wealth to his counterpart" or "gain from the wealth of the other." A lottery fits that exactly, and so do scratch cards, office pools and online lotto apps, since each one takes a stake from everyone and pays a few.

The numbers show how lopsided it is. Powerball's own prize chart puts the odds of winning the jackpot at 1 in 292,201,338, and the odds of winning any prize at all at 1 in 24.87 on a $2 play. Most of what players pay goes to other people or to the operator.

What do the Qur'an and Sunnah say about gambling?

The Qur'an forbids gambling outright and explains its harm, and the Sunnah treats even inviting someone to gamble as a sin that needs expiation. The verse after 5:90 says: "Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?" (Qur'an 5:91).

An earlier verse admits that gambling has some benefit, then weighs it: "In them is great sin and [yet, some] benefit for people. But their sin is greater than their benefit" (Qur'an 2:219). Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin, quoted by IslamQA, points out that "benefits" is plural and "sin" singular, meaning that however many benefits people claim, the one great sin outweighs them.

Two hadith are also cited in lottery fatwas:

  1. "Whoever says to his companion, 'Come along, let us gamble' must give alms" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4860). If merely suggesting a bet calls for charity as expiation, actually placing one is more serious.
  2. The Prophet ﷺ "forbade a transaction determined by throwing stones, and the type which involves some uncertainty" (Sahih Muslim 1513). Scholars use this hadith on gharar (excessive uncertainty) for deals where you pay without knowing what you will get.

What do scholars say about the lottery?

On ordinary lottery tickets, the scholars below all agree it is haram; they differ on charity raffles and free tickets. Here is a summary, based on each answer's own page:

Scholar or body Lottery tickets Charity raffles Free tickets or draws
Egypt's Dar al-Ifta Haram, including selling tickets and accepting winnings Not addressed Not addressed
Shaykh Ibn Baz (Fatawa Islamiyyah 4/442) Haram Haram, even when the money funds charity Not addressed
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin (Fatawa Islamiyyah 4/441) Haram, a major sin Haram, even if winnings go to Islamic projects Not addressed
IslamQA (answer 98151, 2022) "Definitively haraam" Not addressed Not addressed
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari (Daruliftaa.com) "Totally unlawful," including the national lottery Not addressed A free state lottery ticket may not be cashed in
SeekersGuidance (2023 and 2024) Paid raffles are gambling Allowed if you are donating and the organiser makes that clear Allowed if anyone can enter without paying
Sayyid Ali al-Sistani (official Q&A) Buying and selling tickets not permissible Allowed with the intention of contributing to a charitable project, not to win Not addressed
Darul Ihsan, Durban Raffles are gambling Charity draws with prizes "must be avoided" Not addressed

Is a charity raffle haram?

Scholars differ: Ibn Baz and Darul Ihsan forbid charity raffles, while SeekersGuidance and Sayyid al-Sistani allow paying when the money is genuinely a donation. Ibn Baz was asked about raffles that charities run to fund education, medical or social work. He answered that "lotteries and raffles are other names for gambling," and that Muslims may not take part "whether the money collected from gambling is to spend on charitable projects or otherwise" (Fatawa Islamiyyah 4/442, via IslamQA 6476).

SeekersGuidance (Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan, approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, 2023) answered a question about a school charity raffle. It agrees that a raffle is normally impermissible, but says that if the buyer's intention is to donate, "he is effectively not purchasing tickets, rather he is donating," and a prize he happens to win is permissible. The condition is that the school "must make it known to all donors" that they are donating, not entering a competition. Sayyid al-Sistani's office gives a similar answer: it is permissible "to take part in a lottery with the intention to contribute in a charitable project such as building a mosque or a bridge not with the intention of earning a profit or a prize."

Darul Ihsan in Durban takes the cautious line. It says a charity drive that doubles as a prize draw "has resemblance with a conventional 'raffle' type draw" and that charity "should be solely for the pleasure of Allah," so such schemes "must be avoided." If you want to support a cause, the simplest option all of these views accept is to give the donation and skip the ticket.

Are free draws and sweepstakes haram?

A draw you can enter without paying anything is not gambling, but scholars still differ on prizes linked to a purchase. SeekersGuidance (Mawlana Ilyas Patel, 2024) says a raffle is only permissible "if it is given freely or if anybody who walks through the door can receive one without having to pay for it." Paying to enter, "whether through entrance fees, ticket purchases, or any other means," is gambling.

Two cautions apply. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari says a free ticket for a state lottery, earned with points at a gas station, carries no sin of gambling but still may not be cashed in, because the jackpot "is accumulated from the money of all those who took part in purchasing the many lottery tickets." IslamQA (answer 22862) also records that the Saudi Standing Committee and Ibn Baz forbade store prize draws tied to shopping, while other scholars allow them with conditions. A simple test: if nobody pays to enter and the prize does not come from other players' stakes, the main objection falls away.

What should you do if you won the lottery?

Scholars say lottery winnings should be given away to the poor, without expecting reward for it, and not used for yourself. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari writes that money from the lottery "should be given in charity to poor people without the intention of receiving reward," the same as all unlawfully acquired money. IslamQA says the same about a winning ticket someone found on the ground: the finder did not gamble, yet the prize is still not a permissible way to earn money, citing "do not consume one another's wealth unjustly" (Qur'an 2:188).

If you have bought tickets in the past, the practical steps are:

  1. Stop buying tickets, including office pools and online lotto apps.
  2. Repent sincerely and do not count the money you spent as a debt anyone owes you.
  3. Give away any winnings you still hold to the poor, without intending it as your own charity.
  4. Follow the hadith in Bukhari 4860: if you catch yourself about to gamble, give something in charity instead.
  5. Replace the habit. If the lottery was your way of hoping for a better life, put that hope into dua and into a small, regular good deed.

The same reasoning is behind our guides on whether fantasy football is haram and whether Kalshi and prediction markets are haram: paying in for a chance to take other people's money is maysir, whatever it is called. And since gambling, as Qur'an 5:91 warns, can "avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer," guarding your five prayers is a good place to rebuild. Salah Home lets you log each prayer with one tap, keep a streak and earn Dates to build your own peaceful home. If you have drifted from prayer, our guide on what to do when you feel far from Allah is a gentle place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Is buying a lottery ticket haram?

Yes. Egypt's Dar al-Ifta, IslamQA, Ibn Baz, Ibn Uthaymin and Daruliftaa.com all rule that buying lottery tickets is haram because it is gambling (maysir), which Qur'an 5:90 forbids.

Are scratch cards haram?

Scratch cards work like a lottery: you pay, and a few players win from the money everyone else lost. The scholars above define gambling by that structure, so scratch cards fall under the same ruling.

Is it haram to buy a raffle ticket for charity?

Scholars differ. Ibn Baz and Darul Ihsan forbid charity raffles, while SeekersGuidance and Sayyid al-Sistani allow paying when it is genuinely a donation and not an attempt to win. Giving the donation without taking a ticket avoids the disagreement.

Can a Muslim keep lottery winnings?

No. Scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari say lottery winnings should be given to the poor without the intention of reward, as with any unlawfully earned money.

Is it haram to work at a store that sells lottery tickets?

Sayyid al-Sistani's office says buying and selling lottery tickets is not permissible, and Dar al-Ifta includes selling tickets in the prohibition. Many store jobs involve other tasks, so ask whether you can avoid selling the tickets yourself.

Sources

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