A new class-action filing in federal court has pulled hip-hop superstar Drake into a widening legal storm. The Drake Online Casino Lawsuit, brought by two consumers in Virginia, accuses the artist, streamer Adin Ross, and an Australian man of orchestrating a racketeering conspiracy tied to real-money gambling on the online casino platform Stake.us.
The lawsuit alleges the proceeds from the gambling operation were funneled into schemes designed to artificially boost streaming numbers for Drake’s music catalog—an accusation that links the worlds of online betting and digital music metrics in an unprecedented way.
Claims of Predatory Gambling and Consumer Harm
Filed in Virginia federal court, the complaint asserts the defendants worked in concert with Stake to lure users into what it describes as a predatory gambling ecosystem. Plaintiffs claim consumers were exposed to serious risks of gambling addiction and financial loss after being drawn in by celebrity endorsements.
The lawsuit says the plaintiffs were persuaded to gamble on Stake.us after watching Drake’s paid promotions of the platform, including livestreamed betting sessions and promotional giveaways. According to the filing, those endorsements blurred the line between entertainment and inducement.
