What is the ruling on competitions and incentive prizes for purchases in newspapers, commercial stores, petrol stations, laundromats, television channels, and bank deposit certificates?

Competitions based on paying money for a chance to win a prize, such as lotteries, are a forbidden type of gambling, because the participant may lose the money they paid. As for competitions that do not require paying money, such as Quran recitation competitions and free scientific competitions, they are permissible and desirable. Forbidden competitions include journalistic and television competitions, commercial store raffles, and bank deposit certificates that offer chances for a draw in exchange for freezing money. All of these fall under the category of lotteries, gambling, and devouring people's wealth unjustly.