What To Know:
- A class action lawsuit filed in Virginia names Drake, Adin Ross, and George Nguyen, alleging they promoted and used the crypto casino Stake.us.
- The lawsuit argued the promotion was done to conceal money transfers tied to music streaming botting, in violation of federal racketeering laws.
- The lawsuit seeks at least $5 million in damages, and claims Stake’s tipping feature was used as an unregulated money transfer tool to fund botting activities.
A new class action lawsuit filed in the United States has placed rapper Drake at the center of serious allegations involving crypto gambling, online promotion, and alleged manipulation of music streaming metrics. The case, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on December 31, 2025, accuses Drake of working alongside popular streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen in activities that plaintiffs claim violate federal racketeering laws.
Drake Faces Lawsuit Over Stake.US Promotion
The complaint alleges that the defendants promoted and used the crypto casino platform Stake.us to conceal money transfers linked to large-scale music streaming botting campaigns. Plaintiffs argue that these actions amount to violations of the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act, which is a statute traditionally associated with organized crime cases.
At the center of the lawsuit is Stake.US, a platform marketed as a “social casino” to U.S. users. According to the filing, Stake.us was designed to sidestep USA crypto regulations by presenting itself as a non-real-money gaming site. The plaintiffs contend that this portrayal is misleading and that the platform functions as an unregulated online casino in practice.
“This consumer class action seeks to stop Stake.us from continuing to prey upon consumers,” the complaint states, The lawsuit also seeks civil penalties against the named defendants to discourage similar conduct in the future.
The case was brought by Stake.us users LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, who aim to represent Virginia residents who created accounts on the platform. The proposed class also includes U.S. users who purchased casino tokens known as Gold Coins, which were bundled with Stake Cash, a digital credit that can be redeemed for cryptocurrency.
For a particular kind of betting, the suit also applies to users who lost their wagers using Stake Cash over the past three years.
For a particular kind of betting, the suit also applies to users who lost their wagers using Stake Cash over the past three years. Plaintiffs argue that Stake.US deliberately blurred the line between free-to-play gaming and real-money gambling. Although it’s marketed as a safe and legal alternative, the platform supposedly exposed users to the same risks as a traditional online casino. These practices placed consumers at risk of developing gambling addiction and financial harm.
Drake and Ross are accused of actively participating in these activities while being compensated to promote Stake.us. According to the filing, both figures placed high-value wagers using funds provided by the platform. The lawsuit alleges that, with the involvement of Nguyen, they transferred money between themselves using Stake’s tipping feature.
That functionality is referred to in the complaint as an unregulated money transmission tool operating outside the oversight of financial regulators. Plaintiffs allege it was used to move funds discreetly and to finance botting operations designed to boost Drake’s streaming data across popular music sites. The lawsuit alleges those synthetic boosts misled listeners, platforms and advertisers by giving inflated engagement numbers.
The filing doesn’t name specific streaming services but contends that the practices distort the digital music marketplace, breaking consumer faith. The plaintiffs are demanding damages of at least $5 million and have sought a jury trial. They argue that Stake.us users were misled into believing the platform was legal and harmless when it, allegedly, put them at great financial and psychological risk.
“Stake.us preys on consumers in Virginia and nationwide,” the complaint states, adding that the platform’s practices jeopardized users’ financial stability and family well-being.
This lawsuit is not the first legal challenge tied to Drake and Ross’s promotion of Stake. In October 2025, a separate case filed in a Missouri county court accused the pair of promoting Stake.us under misleading pretenses. That lawsuit alleged the promotion exposed younger audiences to gambling risks and addictive behaviors.
The new Virginia case escalates the scrutiny by tying gambling promotion to alleged financial misconduct and digital manipulation.
Neither Drake, Ross, nor Stake has publicly responded to the latest filing at the time of reporting.
Also Read: Coinbase Files Lawsuits Against 3 US States Over Prediction Markets
