Department of Magical Games and Sports

• Type: Ministry of Magic Department
• Location: Level Seven, Ministry of Magic, London, Great Britain
• Head of Department: Ludo Bagman (c. 1994-1995)
• Known Employees: Bertha Jorkins
• Purpose: The management, promotion, and regulation of all wizarding games and magical sports within Great Britain.

The Department of Magical Games and Sports is one of the more light-hearted departments within the Ministry of Magic. Its offices are located on the seventh level of the Ministry's headquarters, accessible via the main atrium's golden lifts. The corridor leading to its offices is described as shabby and untidy, with peeling paint and various posters of famous Quidditch teams, such as the Tutshill Tornados and the Wimbourne Wasps, tacked crookedly to the walls. The department itself appears somewhat chaotic, with memos in the form of paper aeroplanes zooming in and out of its doors. The department is responsible for organizing major sporting events, most notably the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. It also enforces rules and regulations related to games like Gobstones and popular sports like Quidditch. According to Quidditch Through the Ages, the department's responsibilities can sometimes be surprisingly broad, including tasks like regulating the thickness of cauldron bottoms. During the 1994-1995 school year, the department was headed by the famous ex-Quidditch player, Ludo Bagman. While charismatic and enthusiastic, Bagman's leadership was marred by his severe gambling addiction, which led him to place bets with Goblins using Leprechaun Gold and attempt to influence the outcome of the Triwizard Tournament. Another employee, Bertha Jorkins, met a tragic end after being captured by Peter Pettigrew on her holiday in Albania. Information she possessed about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament and the survival of Barty Crouch Jr., which she had learned through her work, was forcibly extracted from her by Lord Voldemort before he killed her.

The Department of Magical Games and Sports is central to the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

• Quidditch World Cup: The department was responsible for organizing the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, including managing ticket distribution and providing security in the Top Box alongside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Ludo Bagman's commentary and his subsequent financial troubles with Fred and George Weasley and a group of Goblins originate from this event.
• Triwizard Tournament: The department worked closely with the Department of International Magical Cooperation to revive and host the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. Ludo Bagman served as one of the five judges. His attempts to secretly help Harry Potter during the tasks were driven by his desire for Harry to win so he could pay off his gambling debts.
• Bertha Jorkins's Disappearance: The fate of department employee Bertha Jorkins was a crucial catalyst for the story's main conflict. Information extracted from her by Lord Voldemort allowed him to formulate his plan to enter Harry Potter into the Tournament, ensure his victory with the help of an undercover Barty Crouch Jr., and use him to facilitate his own rebirth.

The sign outside the department's main office indicates that it incorporates several smaller bodies responsible for specific areas:

• British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters
• Official Gobstones Club
• Ludicrous Patents Office

• The department's corridor is briefly glimpsed when Harry Potter and Arthur Weasley pass Level Seven on their way to Harry's disciplinary hearing in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. (film)