A federal class-action lawsuit was initiated last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, claiming that rapper Drake is involved in a scheme that notably exploited the online sweepstakes platform Stake.us to manipulate streaming figures for his music across major services.
The lawsuit targets Drake, legally known as Aubrey Drake Graham, along with social media influencer Adin Ross and purported accomplice George Nguyen. The suit alleges that the parties used automated bots and streaming farms to alter streaming metrics.
“Central to the scheme, Drake — acting directly and through informed co-conspirators — has utilized automated bots and streaming farms to artificially enhance the play counts of his music on various platforms like Spotify,” as reported in the complaint.
The documentation details that the alleged objective of this conduct was to “fabricate popularity” and “skew playlists and charts.” Hence, no criminal charges have been laid regarding these assertions.
The lawsuit also includes Stake.us and its parent company, Sweepstakes Limited, as defendants. The complaint characterizes Stake.us as a “U.S. front for Stake.com” aimed at “circumventing federal and Commonwealth of Virginia gambling laws.” The action was initiated on behalf of two Virginia residents and all Stake.us users.
Court documents identify Nguyen as an “Australian national” allegedly responsible for the financial logistics of the operation. The lawsuit states that “Nguyen acted as a facilitator and operational intermediary—either converting Stake-based cryptocurrency into cash or processing cash from Stake-linked cryptocurrency revenues,” adding that he “oversaw coordinated amplification strategies.”
The filing asserts that internal platform functionalities, including user-to-user tipping, were manipulated to disguise the flow of money. The tipping feature is described as “an unrestricted and entirely unregulated monetary transmitter seemingly outside the purview of any financial authority.”
Drake serves as a brand ambassador for Stake.us and Stake.com. He entered into a promotional agreement with the organization in 2022, reportedly valued at a minimum of $100 million annually, according to the Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the arrangement. This lawsuit arises as Drake is set to unveil a new album titled “Iceman.”
The allegations in Virginia follow prior legal actions. Drake, Ross, and others faced accusations in a lawsuit filed on October 27, 2025, in Missouri for promoting an illegal online gambling operation. Online gambling remains unlawful in Missouri.
“Stake.us is a virtual replica of Stake.com, rebranded to deceive Missouri regulators and consumers into believing it provides harmless gameplay rather than an illegal gambling platform,” asserts the Missouri suit. A trial is scheduled for March 20.
Drake and Ross are also cited as defendants in a parallel lawsuit filed on October 29 in New Mexico, alleging the promotion of illegal online gambling in that state, where online gambling is disallowed under the state’s gaming control board.
The Virginia lawsuit further claims that profits generated from Stake.us were utilized to fund “ongoing music botting campaigns,” stating that proceeds were allocated to “forge fraudulent streams of Drake’s music, fabricate a sense of popularity, undermine competitors and music label executives, skew recommendation algorithms, and finance all of the aforementioned while obscuring the flow of funds.”
The lawsuit identifies LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines as plaintiffs and categorizes Stake.us as “one of the largest and most lucrative illegal online casinos.” The site allegedly marketed itself as a social casino to mask real-money gambling, despite the utilization of virtual currencies that the lawsuit contends hold intrinsic monetary value.