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UAE startup offers sports betting for Muslims ‘without committing a vice’
A new app, Hajem Sports, lets UAE football fans predict match results without monetary involvement, aligning with Islamic principles.
A new gaming app is offering football fans in the UAE a way to predict match outcomes without involving money, ensuring it remains ‘halal’. Since gambling is strictly prohibited in Islam, Hajem Sports is a platform that lets users compete for points rather than money.
According to The National, the app is the brainchild of Zaid Abu Soud, a former mixed martial arts (MMA) organiser who wanted Muslims to experience the thrill of an outcome predicted correctly without involving money.
“It's about the feeling – the high of winning without the financial interaction associated with it,” he explained.
Sports betting, without the sin
Hajem Sports operates similarly to traditional betting apps but eliminates monetary stakes.
Gambling is totally prohibited under Islamic law. According to a report in Semafor, the Quran considers it at par with alcohol and idolatry as actions that lead people away from righteousness. Islamic teachings consider gambling (maysir or qimar) harmful because it promotes greed, dependency, and financial loss, often leading to social and personal problems.
By eliminating the money factor, Hajem Sports allows Muslim sports fans to experience the thrill of sports betting.
“We wanted to give the Arab or Muslim user a skin in the game without committing a vice,” says Abu Soud.
When Abu Soud was researching sports betting apps, he found that westerns usually gambled with small amounts of money. He figured that they were mostly using the apps for fun, rather than gambling seriously for monetary wins.
He wanted Muslims across the world to experience the same feeling of knowing they predicted something correctly.
“They’re 'betting', but not with money,” the founder explained to The National. “They’re 'betting' with their reputation and know-how. They want to prove to their friends that they are smarter than them and that’s what Hajem lets them do.”
The app currently earns money by selling ‘digital trinkets’ like the skins for users’ avatars.
