Drake, Adin Ross and Australian man named in third Stake gambling lawsuit

• Hip-hop artist Drake and streamer Adin Ross face federal RICO charges over alleged promotion of illegal gambling platform Stake.us.
• Virginia lawsuit claims defendants used the platform’s tipping feature to fund bot farms that artificially inflated Drake’s streaming numbers.
• Australian national George Nguyen was identified as an operational facilitator coordinating with bot vendors and social media amplification campaigns.

Canadian rapper Drake and online streamer Adin Ross have been named in a third federal lawsuit alleging they promoted illegal gambling operations through Stake.us whilst using the platform’s financial infrastructure to artificially boost music streaming numbers.

The class action complaint, filed on 31 December 2025 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, names plaintiffs LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, both Virginia residents who claim to have lost money gambling on Stake.us after being influenced by Drake’s promotional activities.

RICO allegations target coordinated scheme

The lawsuit invokes the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, alleging that Drake, Ross, and George Nguyen, an Australian national, worked together with Sweepsteaks Limited (Stake’s parent company) to operate an illegal gambling enterprise.

According to court documents reviewed by multiple outlets, the complaint alleges Drake and Ross received substantial payments from Stake whilst misleading consumers about the platform’s legality and the authenticity of their gambling sessions.

Drake reportedly earns $100 million annually from his endorsement deal with Stake, according to the Financial Times.

The lawsuit claims the defendants used Stake’s user-to-user “tipping” feature to transfer funds amongst themselves. Court filings characterise this system as “an unlimited and wholly unregulated money transmitter that appears to exist outside the oversight of any financial regulator.”

Bot farm allegations emerge

Beyond the gambling promotion claims, the Virginia lawsuit introduces allegations that the defendants deployed automated bots and streaming farms to artificially inflate play counts of Drake’s music across major platforms including Spotify.

“At the heart of the scheme, Drake – acting directly and through willing and knowledgeable co-conspirators – has deployed automated bots and streaming farms to artificially inflate play counts of his music across major platforms, such as Spotify,” the complaint states.

Nguyen, identified in the complaint as the owner of Instagram account @grandwizardchatn***a, allegedly served as a “broker and operational facilitator.”

The lawsuit claims he received cryptocurrency through Stake channels and coordinated directly with bot vendors, supervised amplification strategies, and integrated paid “clipping” campaigns on social media platforms including X.

The filing alleges that Drake and Ross transmitted funds to Nguyen, who then interfaced with bot vendors and streaming farms. Public transactions between Drake and Ross ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 are cited as evidence, including a $100,000 tip transfer in 2023.

The complaint also references Drake’s December 2024 “Drizzmas Giveaway” and a $220,000 car allegedly gifted to Ross shortly before the lawsuit was filed.

“This manipulation has suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers’ access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences,” the complaint adds.

Stake’s dual-currency model under scrutiny

The lawsuit challenges Stake.us’s business model, which operates as a “sweepstakes casino” using a dual-currency system. Users purchase Gold Coins to play casino games, with each purchase bundling Stake Cash that can be converted to real money after meeting certain wagering requirements.

Plaintiffs argue this structure makes Stake.us indistinguishable from real-money gambling, which remains illegal in Virginia and numerous other US states.

The complaint alleges Stake misrepresents itself by promoting statements such as the platform “does not offer real money gambling” and provides “the ultimate social, safe and free gaming experience,” when it actually facilitates real-money wagering.

“By masking its real money gambling platform as a free and safe ‘social casino,’ Stake and Defendants create a predatorial gambling environment, deliberately misleading consumers,” the lawsuit contends.

In response to the allegations, a Stake.us representative told Rolling Stone:

“The company does not have a tipping function that could be used in this way.”

The spokesperson called the complaint “a nonsense claim” and said the company was “not concerned about this lawsuit.”

Representatives for Drake declined to comment. Ross and Nguyen did not respond to media requests for comment.

Third lawsuit follows similar claims

This legal action marks the third Stake-related lawsuit filed against Drake and Ross within three months.

A Missouri man filed a class action in Jackson County Circuit Court on 27 October 2025, followed by a separate complaint in New Mexico filed on 29 October 2025. The Missouri case was subsequently moved from state court to federal court.

All three lawsuits share common allegations: that Drake and Ross promoted Stake.us as harmless entertainment whilst the platform operated as an illegal gambling operation causing financial harm to vulnerable consumers.

The Virginia complaint seeks class certification to represent all Virginia residents who lost wagers using Stake Cash within the previous three years. Plaintiffs demand damages exceeding $5 million, treble damages under RICO statutes, injunctive relief, and disgorgement of profits allegedly earned through the scheme.

Regulatory pressure intensifies

The lawsuits emerge as regulatory scrutiny of sweepstakes casinos intensifies across the United States. California Governor Gavin Newsom banned sweepstakes in 2025, with New York following.

The UK Gambling Commission investigated Stake’s British operations following controversy over a social media video featuring the Stake logo and an adult actress outside Nottingham Trent University.

TGP Europe Limited, which operated Stake.uk under a white-label arrangement, announced the platform’s closure by 11 March 2025 following the investigation announced in February 2025. TGP Europe had previously been fined £316,250 in April 2023 for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures.

Stake operates from offices in Dallas under a Curaçao gambling licence, with parent company Sweepsteaks Limited registered in Cyprus.

The platform’s co-founders, Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, also own the streaming platform Kick, which launched in 2022 to compete with Twitch by offering content creators more favourable revenue splits.

Industry implications

Industry observers suggest the litigation could establish precedents for how influencer partnerships with gambling operators are structured, disclosed, and regulated.

The case raises questions about platform accountability, financial transparency, and whether existing consumer protection laws adequately address gambling promotion through streaming platforms and social media.

The Eastern District of Virginia has not yet scheduled preliminary hearings. Both parties will have opportunities to present evidence regarding the nature of the defendants’ relationships and whether their promotional activities violated applicable federal and state laws.

The allegations remain unproven in court, with Drake having not publicly addressed the Virginia lawsuit. In October 2025, when the Missouri lawsuit was filed, Ross called the litigation “fucking bullshit” during a livestream, though he has not commented on the latest Virginia case.