The founder of a new gaming app that allows users to predict the outcome of football matches without breaching Sharia – Islamic law – is hoping to expand into other sports.
Zaid Abu Soud, a former mixed martial arts (MMA) organiser, launched Hajem Sports in the UAE in January to give Muslim users a gambling experience that does not involve money. After an encouraging start with football, he is now hoping to add MMA and basketball matches to the options for users in the future.
“I would like to push for mixed martial arts, but my team would like to push for basketball,” says Abu Soud. However, the biggest potential addition is esports, he says, adding that it is one of the fastest-growing and most followed activities in the region.
Similar to sports betting apps that are typically found in the West, Hajem allows users to predict the outcome of a football match without placing a monetary wager. “We wanted to give the Arab or Muslim user skin in the game without committing a vice,” says Abu Soud.
Betting is prohibited in Islam. But Hajem users play for points rather than money. Five credits are made available every day and correct predictions are rewarded with points. Users move up and down local and global league tables on the app in line with the outcome of their predictions, giving them the excitement of competition without any money changing hands.
Abu Soud's original goal was to give Muslim sports fans the chance to watch football with friends and enjoy an added element of competition. “They’re 'betting', but not with money,” he explains. “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.”
They’re 'betting' with their reputation and know-how, they want to prove to their friends that they are smarter than them
Zaid Abu Soud,
founder of Hajem
Abu Soud found during his research of sports betting apps commonly found in the West that the majority of wagers involve small amounts of money. Most of the time, he figured, they are using the apps for fun. Hajem was designed with that in mind. “It's about the feeling – the high of winning without the financial interaction associated with it,” he explains.
Most of Hajem's revenue comes from selling digital assets, such as skins for users' avatars. Abu Soud hopes to attract new users around the globe who are interested in sports but do not want to break Islamic laws or wager their hard-earned money.
He believes his app is an attempt to “innovate in a familiar space without all its pitfalls” and enables Emiratis and others in the region to have fun while holding on to their “important values”.
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