Drake Sued Over Ties To Online Casino; Lawsuit Claims He Used More Than Six-Figures To Inflate Music Streams
2026 isn't off to a good start for rapper Drake. In addition to dealing with the aftermath of Kendrick Lamar's viral diss track "Not Like Us," Drake is now facing legal woes, as he's been named in a federal lawsuit and accused of persuading users to gamble with real money on the online casino platform Stake. In addition, the explosive lawsuit filed in Virginia also claims that the rapper used the casino's online tipping feature to send large sums of money to "artificially inflate streaming counts" for his music.
Drake And Adin Ross Named In A Federal RICO Lawsuit
Drake fans couldn't even get a full day into 2026 without being dealt some somber news. According to multiple sources, including Complex and Rolling Stone, Drake and the popular streamer Adin Ross are being sued for promoting the online casino Stake. For those unfamiliar, Stake is an online platform that reportedly does not offer real-money gambling. However, the lawsuit filed by LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines alleges otherwise.
Drake, Ross, and a third man are accused of preying upon consumers and unlawfully exposing them to the "substantial risks of gambling addiction." Further, the two women claim they were "influenced to participate" in the company's "predatorial gambling environment" after seeing Drake's paid promotion, which included social media posts, giveaways, and livestreamed gambling sessions.
Drake And Ross Are Listed As 'Zealous Promoters' Of The Stake Platform
Drake and Ross are listed as "zealous" and "paid" promoters of the Stake platform, which Ridley and Hines claim "mask the true nature and extent of their conduct."
"The two have engaged in livestreamed gambling, wagering large sums of money that was provided surreptitiously by Stake," the lawsuit read. "In other words, though Drake and Ross purported to be gambling with their own Stake Cash, it was in fact provided to them by the house."
In the past, Drake has made headlines over his hefty six-figure wagers on the Stake platform. Most recently, he bet $200,000 on Jake Paul to win his December 19 fight against heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Did Drake And Ross Use Stake To Inflate The Rapper's Streams?
The claims above aren't the only shocking parts of the explosive lawsuit. In addition to being accused of acting as paid promoters of the Stake platform, the documents claim Drake and Ross used the platform's "tipping" system to move six-figure amounts between the men to fund "artificial streaming to create fraudulent streams of Drake's music."
According to the lawsuit, paying for fraudulent streams was an effort to "fabricate popularity; disparage competitors and music label executives; distort recommendation algorithms; and distribute financing for all of the foregoing, while concealing the flow of funds."
The suit also claims that Drake's alleged participation in inflating his streams with fraudulent numbers only hurts other artists in the industry. "This manipulation has suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers' access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences," the documents read.
Drake has been open about his love for the gambling platform, which isn't surprising, as he reportedly signed a $100 million-a-year deal in 2023 to promote the company online.
Social Media Reacts To The Stunning Lawsuit
After news of the lawsuit became public, social media users shared stunned reactions, with one user writing, "Drake being hit with a RICO and it being announced on the first day of 2026 is just wow." Another user joked that Drake would soon be heading to "cell block one," a reference to a lyric from Lamar's hit "Not Like Us."
Other users came to the rapper's defense, however, with one saying the lawsuit is being brought by two women who were unable to hold themselves accountable. "Even a person with low IQ knows that online gambling requires real money," they wrote. Another added, "Imagine suing because you can't stand that you lost your bread."
Ross Called Out LeBron James Over Reported Beef With The 'Hype' Rapper
Adin Ross goes off on LeBron James for dancing to ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar
“As i love LeBron my whole life, you can just see what a piece of shit human he is… How can you respect someone that has no loyalty with someone he has known for 15 years” pic.twitter.com/uIHXZ7EaAv
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) July 23, 2025
This isn't the first time that Ross has been linked to Drake. According to a previous report from The Blast, the Kick streamer blasted LeBron James in the summer of 2025 after the NBA legend was seen dancing to Lamar's single while on vacation. During a livestream, Ross voiced his issues with James, who at one point had grown close to Drake, calling him a "piece of sh-t human."
"Imagine if your best friend for 15 years — and he's met his actual children — and you're rapping to a song about him being a pedophile. It's sad. This is not my beef, but I'm very close with Drake, and it's just sad," he said. "You guys can call me parasocial, but it does affect the way that I like LeBron. How can you respect someone that has no loyalty with someone he has known for 15 years?"
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