Drake, Adin Ross, Stake lawsuit alleges botting, gambling scheme

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Streamers Stake, Drake, and Adin Ross are being sued in a class-action lawsuit in Virginia. The lawsuit claims they were involved in illegal gambling and used bots to manipulate online activity.

A new lawsuit has been filed accusing Drake, streamer Adin Ross, and the online casino Stake of running an illegal operation. The suit claims they secretly moved money to artificially inflate the number of streams for Drake’s songs using bots.

Drake, Adin Ross, Stake hit by Virginia class-action suit

LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines filed a lawsuit on December 31, 2025, in Virginia, representing a group of Stake users. The lawsuit named Stake.us, rapper Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham), streamer Adin Ross, and George Nguyen as defendants.

The lawsuit alleges several issues with Stake, starting with claims that its online gambling isn’t legal and that it falsely advertised itself as simply a ‘social casino’.

The lawsuit argues that the way these games are presented is deceptive. Players are prompted to bet with either Gold Coins or real money (Stake Cash), or both, which leads consumers to think they’re playing free games when they’re actually gambling.

Stake.us makes money by taking advantage of, and often targeting, vulnerable people in America. This creates a strong incentive for them to mislead both customers and those who oversee the company.

Stake.us is running an unlawful gambling operation, as defined by federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1955). This includes offering casino-style betting that breaks the laws of many states, involving at least five people, and consistently generating significant daily income.

Ridley v. Stake.us et al., 2025, paragraphs 44–45, p. 9

The people bringing this lawsuit are asking for financial compensation and the return of any profits made through what they claim was illegal gambling and misleading advertising. They also want the court to shut down Stake’s operations in Virginia and any other state where it breaks gambling laws, and to stop Drake, Ross, and Nguyen from promoting Stake.

Drake’s botted views

The lawsuit alleges that Stake’s tipping feature was used to hide money transfers and pay for fake streams of Drake’s music – a practice known as “botting.” This was reportedly done to artificially boost Drake’s popularity, harm his rivals and other record labels, and manipulate online charts and algorithms.

Drake is accused of using bots and fake streaming activity to artificially boost the number of plays his music receives on platforms like Spotify. This involved using networks across state lines to mislead the systems that pay royalties and recommend music, with the goal of making it appear more popular than it is and influencing charts and playlists. This manipulation not only benefits Drake financially and draws attention to his music, but also harms other artists and limits what real listeners can discover.

Ridley v. Stake.us et al., 2025, paragraph 11, p. 3

This artist, streamer, or company has faced lawsuits like this before. A similar case was actually filed in Missouri last October.

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2026-01-02 09:11