Global music superstar Drake and popular American livestreamer Adin Ross are at the centre of a major US legal battle, accused of orchestrating a scheme to artificially boost the rapper's online popularity using funds from an online casino.
The $5 Million Class Action Allegations
A class action lawsuit filed in the United States seeks damages of $5 million from the celebrities, the online casino Stake.com, and an Australian internet personality. The case, brought by two women from Virginia, alleges violations of racketeering (RICO) and consumer protection laws.
The suit claims that since 2022, Drake and Ross used winnings from the Curacao-licensed gambling platform Stake to pay for automated streams, or 'bots', on music services like Spotify. This alleged activity was designed to falsely inflate both Drake's streaming royalties and his perceived popularity.
How the Alleged Scheme Operated
Court documents detail a complex process. It is alleged that Drake and Ross hid the financing by transferring gambling proceeds via Stake's anonymised tip system to an Australian man named in filings as George Nguyen. Nguyen, who has posted content promoting both Drake and Stake, allegedly operated under online aliases including 'grandwizardchatn****' and 'Grandavious'.
The lawsuit states that Nguyen then converted the Stake funds into cash and cryptocurrency to pay vendors supplying artificial streams on behalf of the celebrities. Drake is alleged to have transferred millions of dollars as part of this operation, including tipping Ross $100,000 and $10,000 sums.
Stake.com's Controversial Role and Wider Fallout
Stake.com, which is officially banned in the US, UK, and Australia, operates a US-facing site called Stake.us. This site uses virtual 'e-tokens' rather than real-money gambling directly. The class action argues that Stake's anonymised design was instrumental in facilitating the alleged fraud.
The lead plaintiffs, Tiffany Hines and LaShawnna Ridley, claim they suffered significant harm after Drake's promotions encouraged them to gamble on Stake. They argue the platform misled consumers about its legality and safety, leaving users vulnerable to addiction and financial loss.
This is not the first legal challenge for Stake. A Missouri man filed a similar case in October 2024, which Ross dismissed as "bullshit". Stake's Australian parent company, Easygo, has previously stated it "will vigorously defend" all such claims.
Drake has been a prominent promoter for Stake since 2022, sharing posts on Instagram and the Easygo-owned livestreaming platform, Kick. In one June post, he revealed he had gambled $124.5 million and lost $8.2 million in a single month.
Adin Ross, now 25, moved to a rival casino, Rainbet, in 2025 but continues to stream on Kick. The platform was co-founded in Melbourne by Ed Craven, an Australian billionaire estimated to be worth $2.8 billion, following his success with Stake.
If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling, support is available. In the UK, you can contact the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic on 020 7381 7722 or GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
