Rationale As To Why Is Gambling Haram

[Umer]

The actual ethical prohibition underlying all economic transactions is لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ as per Quran, of which Gambling and Riba are two applied situations, which are specifically prohibited in Quran.

Gambling is prohibited because there is no moral basis for earning that money (someone else’s money) and secondly, it is being done on mere chance and luck being played as a game.

As far your example is concerned, this doesn’t constitute Gambling, because here you’re having a prize for your own effort and skills. It would’ve been gambling if you two bet on the outcome of someone else’s game.

Please also refer to the following responses by Ghamidi Sahab for a better understanding of the term Gambling (Juwa):

Please refer to the video below from 29:16 to 33:15

https://youtu.be/I7U0h0Z1-mQ?t=1756

[Umer]

Please also refer to the video below from 1:00 to 6:21

https://youtu.be/sxJid62ad4E?t=60

[Sameer Namole]

Sir you said in answer, ‘It would’ve been gambling if you two bet on the outcome of someone else’s game.’ But if we’re sure about someone else’s skills how can that be gambling. Same can be applied to betting on horse racing or car racing. How can that be gambling if one can derive possible probability of someone’s winning based on their past performance?

[Umer]

However much one may be able to predict the ‘skill of a horse’ or ‘skill of a driver‘, the uncertainty factor is still tremendous. Because at the end of the day, one is betting on someone else’s performance or show of skills on one specific day in order to claim someone else’s money that has no economic basis whatsoever.