A new class-action lawsuit filed in Virginia alleges that rapper Drake has used his partnership with online casino Stake to finance artificial boosts to his Spotify streams. The complaint, lodged on December 31, 2025, by two Virginia residents, claims Drake conspired with streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen in a scheme violating racketeering laws. It seeks at least $5 million in damages and an injunction against the defendants.
The lawsuit, filed by LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, targets Drake, Stake's parent company Sweepstakes Ltd., Adin Ross, and George Nguyen. It accuses them of operating an illegal gambling platform in states like Virginia, where real-money online betting is prohibited. Stake reportedly circumvents bans by selling worthless "play money" bundled with redeemable tokens, allowing users to wager and cash out winnings.
Drake signed a reported $100 million annual endorsement deal with Stake in 2022, promoting it through livestreamed gambling sessions and giveaways. The suit claims that since at least that year, Drake, Ross, and Nguyen exploited Stake's unregulated "tipping" feature to transfer millions of dollars. These funds allegedly paid for bot farms and streaming operations that inflated plays on Drake's catalog across platforms like Spotify.
"Since at least 2022, Drake and those acting under his direction — including Ross and Nguyen — have made use of Stake.com and Stake.us to covertly finance the orchestrated procurement of botting and streaming farm activities," the complaint states. It further alleges these "inauthentic streams" were designed to "mislead royalty and recommendation engines; manufacture popularity; distort playlists and charts; and divert both value and audience attention." The scheme, per the filing, has "suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers’ access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences."
Ridley and Hines invoke the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, typically used against organized crime, along with Virginia's Consumer Protection Act. They claim the promotions lured them into Stake, causing harm. A representative for Drake declined comment on January 2, 2026. Stake did not respond to requests.
This follows a November 2025 suit alleging billions of fraudulent Spotify streams for Drake, though it faulted the platform rather than the artist. Separately, Drake's 2025 lawsuit accusing Universal Music Group of botting Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" was dismissed in October, with an appeal ongoing. An October 2025 Missouri complaint also accused Drake and Ross of misrepresenting Stake as a harmless social casino.
