Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Fantasy football can be considered haram in Islam if it involves paying money with the possibility of winning or losing, as it resembles gambling. However, if no payment is required and winners are selected solely based on skill and performance, it is generally permitted.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
This game (fantasy football), as I can understand from your description, is akin to gambling. You are paying money to enter the game and then you might win or lose.
That is gambling. If you do not pay and the winner is chosen based on performance only, then this game is allowed.
Additional information is available in the following fatwas:
- Is Playing Blue Whale Game Allowed?
- Is Game Development Haram?
- Entertaining Games: Permissible?
- Is Genshin Impact Haram?
- Are Shooting Games Haram?
- Is Watching Sports Haram?
- Is Online Poker Haram?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editorโs note:
This fatwa is from Ask the Scholarโs archive and was originally published at an earlier date.