Malaysian Mufti Says Spending Real Money On In-Game Loot Boxes Is Haram
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The act of purchasing and opening in-game loot boxes using real money is not permissible in Islam (haram) as it is akin to gambling, said the Malaysian Federal Territories Mufti's Office today.
In a statement issued on its official , the mufti's office said loot boxes in video games are a zero-sum game, whereby the type of rewards obtained by players depend entirely on luck.
Two of the most popular mobile games in Malaysia are PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which sell players loot boxes that potentially contain rare or exclusive items that are not available in the in-game store.
"Such a concept (loot boxes) is prohibited in Islam because it contains elements of gambling," the statement read in Bahasa Malaysia.
In the case of PUBG Mobile, it said, players "place a bet" using UC (Unknown Cash) that is purchased using real money and, at the same time, PUBG offers exciting items that can only be obtained by opening loot boxes.
"Ownership (of said items) is only valid by placing a bet. If luck is on the players' side, they can obtain the items by opening only one loot box. However, it is possible that players will not be able to get the items (they want) even after dozens of attempts and spending thousands of UC."
The mufti's office also said loot boxes deny players the right to directly purchase the items of their desire.
"This is clear when players bet on obtaining certain items from loot boxes like the Premium Crate. Players have to pay 120 UC in order to open a crate, after which the rewards are decided at random. There is a possibility that players get or don't get the items they want," it added.
The mufti's office also advised Muslim players to refrain from opening loot boxes by spending real money and to repent regardless whether they did it on purpose or not.
