Drake, Adin Ross accused of selling unlawful playing on Stake.us
Lawsuit alleges Stake.us used to fund ‘music botting’ to inflate Drake’s streams
Multiple lawsuits filed towards Drake, Stake.us in Missouri, New Mexico
Drake is making headlines amid accusations that he’s concerned in a playing scheme and used a web-based platform to inflate music streams. The latter of the allegations sounds just like those Lawbrey levied towards a sure Compton emcee whose battle-winning Drizzy diss got Grammys.
Source: Cole Burston / Getty
According to USA Today, Drake, Adin Ross, and George Nguyen are accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of selling unlawful playing whereas artificially inflating Drake’s streaming numbers.
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 31, comes by way of Virginia residents LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, in addition to all customers of Stake.us, which plaintiffs describe because the U.S.-facing model of the offshore playing web site Stake.com.
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According to the criticism, Stake.us operates as “one of many largest and most worthwhile unlawful on-line casinos” within the nation, allegedly designed to sidestep U.S. playing legal guidelines after Stake.com was barred from working nationwide.
While Stake.us markets itself as a “social on line casino” that prohibits real-money playing, plaintiffs allege that branding was “meant to mislead each regulators and shoppers.” The web site is alleged to make use of digital currencies referred to as “Stake Cash” and “Gold Coins,” however the lawsuit claims Stake Cash carries actual financial worth and may be exchanged for cryptocurrency, successfully amounting to unlawful playing.
According to the submitting reviewed by USA Today, Drake and Ross have been paid promoters of the platform and took part in livestreamed playing periods utilizing funds allegedly equipped by Stake with out public disclosure. The lawsuit claims these promotions helped painting the platform as protected, authorized, and leisure, regardless of on-line playing being unlawful in Virginia and plenty of different states.
The lawsuit seeks not less than $5 million in damages and goals to characterize Virginia residents who misplaced wagers utilizing Stake Cash throughout the final three years
Drake Is Accused Of Using Stake.Us For “Music Botting”
In the most important twist of the lawsuit, it additionally accuses Drake and his alleged collaborators of utilizing proceeds from Stake.us to fund what plaintiffs describe as coordinated “music botting campaigns.”
The criticism alleges that the instruments on the platform have been used to “obscure the motion of cash whereas financing automated bots and streaming farms” designed to inflate Drake’s play counts throughout main platforms, together with Spotify. Lawyers for the plaintiffs declare Drake was “on the coronary heart of the scheme,” appearing instantly and thru associates to govern digital music metrics.
As identified by HipHopWired, that is particularly wealthy as a result of Drake Karen-ly claimed that UMG (Universal Music Group) and Kendrick Lamar used bots to spice up the numbers of Lamar’s Drake diss document “Not Like Us.” We reported in November that Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC alleged that UMG deployed an unlawful “scheme” utilizing corrupt strategies to make sure that the slanderous observe dominated streaming providers.
“It as an alternative launched a marketing campaign to govern and saturate the streaming providers and airwaves with a tune, ‘Not Like Us,’ so as to make that tune go viral, together with by utilizing ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements,” the submitting from Drizzy’s attorneys said on the time, claiming UMG charged Spotify 30 % lower than its ordinary licensing charges in trade for Spotify pushing suggestions for “Not Like Us” to “customers who’re looking for different unrelated songs and artists.”
Uno reverse, anybody?
Drake And Adin Ross Are Facing Allegations Tied To Stake.Us In Missouri & New Mexico
This is just not the primary time Drake and Adin Ross have confronted authorized bother regarding Stake.us.
NBC News experiences that a number of lawsuits are accusing them of selling unlawful on-line playing.
One case, filed Oct. 27, 2025, in Missouri’s Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges the platform operates as a misleading doppelgänger of Stake.com, rebranded to masquerade as innocent gameplay whereas skirting state playing legal guidelines.
Days later, Drake and Ross have been additionally named in a similar suit filed in New Mexico’s 2nd Judicial District Court, the place on-line playing can also be unlawful.
No legal expenses have been filed in reference to the allegations towards Drake and the opposite defendants.