Drake and Adin Ross are facing a lawsuit tied to their promotion of Stake.
A federal class-action suit in Virginia on Wednesday (Dec. 31), alleging that the site has been “operating as one of the largest and most profitable illegal online casinos” since at least 2022.
The plaintiffs, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, claim Stake deceives users by enabling real-money gambling while presenting it as virtual currency gameplay.
According to the complaint, the platform promotes itself by saying it does “not offer real money gambling,” that “no purchase or payment is necessary to participate or play [Stake] games,” and that it delivers “the ultimate social, safe and free gaming experience.” The lawsuit argues those claims are misleading, stating that users purchase Gold Coins that are always bundled with Stake Cash, which can then be exchanged one-to-one for U.S. dollars.
Drake and Adin Ross are described in the lawsuit as “zealous” and “paid” promoters of the platform, allegedly motivated to “mask the true nature and extent of their conduct.”
“The two have engaged in live-streamed gambling, wagering large sums of money that was provided surreptitiously by Stake,” an excerpt from the lawsuit reads. “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.”
The complaint further alleges that Stake’s internal “tipping” feature was used by Drake, Adin Ross, and Nguyen to move large amounts of money. This reportedly included a highly publicized $100,000 tip exchanged between Drake and Ross, which plaintiffs claim was used to bankroll “artificial streaming (‘botting’) to create fraudulent streams of Drake’s music.” The lawsuit alleges the goal was 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.”
Both plaintiffs say they suffered financial losses after being misled and are seeking damages, penalties, and an injunction to halt the alleged conduct.
Drake, who reportedly inked a $100 million endorsement deal with Stake in 2022, has also been named as a defendant in two other Stake-related lawsuits filed in October 2025 just days apart.
Ross was also listed as a defendant in those October cases and addressed the lawsuits during a livestream, dismissing them as “fucking bullshit.”
