Canadian rapper Drake has been named as part of a proposed U.S. class-action lawsuit alleging he and other individuals used proceeds from a gambling website to commit “obscene amounts of money” that were used to artificially inflate his streaming music play counts, according to CBC News.
The lawsuit focuses on Stake.us, the name of the US website for Curacao-based online casino operator Stake, which Drake has frequently promoted on his social media platforms.
According to the statement of claim, Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, was “at the center of the scheme” and worked with social media influencer Adin Ross. It said the two were paid to promote the platform by gambling with virtual currencies provided “secretly” by Stake.
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None of the allegations have been proven in court, and representatives for Drake and Steak did not immediately respond to requests for comment, CBC News reports.
According to the outlet, the plaintiffs’ lawyers are demanding a jury trial and at least US$5 million in damages and legal fees.
The lawsuit was filed in a Virginia court on December 31, 2025, on behalf of LaShawna Ridley, Tiffany Hines, and names all users of Stake.us as plaintiffs. According to CBC News, it also names George Nguyen as another defendant, suggesting he acted as a facilitator and operating broker.
The plaintiffs allege that Stake.us operates as an illegal online gambling platform designed to evade US sanctions after Stake.com was banned from operating in the country. While marketed as a “social casino” that does not involve real money gambling, the lawsuit claims the site uses a system called “stake cash”, which can be redeemed for cryptocurrency or digital gift cards, effectively acting as real money.
The plaintiffs also allege that Drake, Ross and Nguyen used the casino’s “tipping” function to transfer funds “among themselves,” with some of the funds being used to manipulate streaming platforms such as Spotify.
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The documents say the trio’s efforts were used “to create fraudulent streams of Drake’s music” that fabricated his popularity, distorted streaming playlists and were “calibrated to mislead royalty and recommendation engines.”
As a result, the lawsuit alleges that their actions “suppressed authentic artists and limited consumers’ access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of the curated content.” [streaming music] Experience,” according to CBC News.