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Drake and his streaming buddy Adin Ross are facing more legal issues after they were sued for allegedly using "fraudulent" practices to promote an "unlawful" gambling platform.
According to a report Billboard published on Tuesday, October 28, the Canadian rapper, Ross and gambling platform Stake were hit with a class action lawsuit by attorneys for plaintiff Justin Killham. In legal documents, the Missouri man claims Drake, Adin Ross and Stake used “deceptive, fraudulent and unfair” practices, including Drizzy's celebrity influence, to “encourage impressionable users to gamble.”
“Drake’s role as Stake’s unofficial mascot is quietly corrosive — he’s glamorizing the platform to millions of impressionable fans, many of whom treat his wild betting habits like gospel,” Killham's lawyers write.
The lawsuit alleges Stake paid Drake and Ross to promote the so-called sweepstakes casino through social media and livestreams. Killham's lawyers explains that the Curaçao-based livestream gambling platform uses a "dual currency" system that sells "gold coins" for fun and "sweep coins," which can be exchanged for cash. The attorneys argue that the system is used to dodge state regulations, since the practice isn't considered full-on gambling.
Killham's legal team allege Stake violated Missouri's gambling laws with their system. It also claims the brand aimed to fool their customers “into believing it offers harmless gameplay instead of an unlawful gambling platform.” As far as Drake and Ross' involvement goes, Killham's lawyers say the rapper and the streamer allegedly deceived their followers by playing with "house money" fronted by Stake.
“When Ross and Drake purport to gamble online with Stake.com, they often do not do so with their own money despite telling the public in Missouri and elsewhere the opposite,” Killham’s lawyers argue. “Stake’s and Drake’s and Ross’s conduct here threatens the welfare of Missouri residents and especially its young people.”
Drake and Adin Ross have been promoting Stake for the past few years. The company originally used livestreaming services like Twitch, where online personalities like Drizzy, xQc and others played the game for their followers. After Stake was banned from Twitch, the company's founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani launched their own livestream site called Kick in 2023. They later enlisted Drake and Ross to promote Stake while they livestreamed on Kick. The pair have gone viral several times during their livestreams, including their holiday session last December where Drake almost dissed Kendrick Lamar and shouted out Future amid their feud.
Stake has not responded to the lawsuit just yet, but it seems like Drake has. He seemingly doubled-down on his partnership with Stake by posting a video of himself playing the game.
"Rage Baiting since 2023 @stake," he wrote.