Is playing with gambling or詐騙 and taking people's money - only in the game - forbidden, and does the fact that it is a game make it permissible?
Gambling (al-maysir) and idols (al-nusub) are forbidden in Islamic law. Maysir is any activity in which a participant is either a winner or a loser. If gambling and idols in a game do not involve real money, then it falls under the category of recreational gambling (maysir al-lahw). Some jurists have divided maysir into recreational gambling (maysir al-lahw), which involves no money, and gambling for stakes (maysir qimar), which involves money. Imam Malik said: "Maysir is of two types: recreational maysir (like dice, chess, and amusements), and gambling maysir (that over which people wager)." Everything that distracts from the remembrance of Allah and prayer is maysir. The harm of maysir is greater than the harm of usury, as it involves consuming wealth unlawfully and engaging in unlawful amusement that distracts from the remembrance of Allah and prayer, and leads to enmity and hatred. If a game involves something forbidden, such as being played for money, or distracting from the remembrance of Allah or prayer, or causing enmity, or diverting from an act of obedience, then it is forbidden. However, if it does not involve any of these, playing it is disliked due to the absence of benefit. As for real nusub, which is the unlawful taking of people's wealth, it is not permissible.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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