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Canadian rapper Drake has been named as part of a proposed U.S. class-action lawsuit that alleges he, and other individuals, used proceeds from a gambling website to "obscure transmissions of money," which were then used to artificially inflate his streaming music play counts, according to CBC News.
The lawsuit centres on Stake.us, the name of the U.S. website for the Curacao-based online casino operator Stake, which Drake has frequently promoted on his social media platforms. According to the statement of claim, Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, was "at the heart of the scheme" and worked alongside social media influencer Adin Ross. Both, it says, were paid to promote the platform by gambling with virtual currencies that are "surreptitiously" provided by Stake. None of the allegations has been proven in court, and representatives for Drake and Stake did not immediately respond to requests for comment, CBC News reported. The plaintiff's lawyers are demanding a jury trial and are seeking at least USD 5 million in damages and legal fees, as per the outlet. The suit was filed on Dec. 31, 2025, in a Virginia court on behalf of LaShawnna Ridley, Tiffany Hines and it names all users of Stake.us as plaintiffs. It also names George Nguyen as another defendant, suggesting that he served as a facilitator and operational broker, according to CBC News. The plaintiffs allege that Stake.us operates as an illegal online gambling platform designed to circumvent US restrictions after Stake.com was banned from operating in the country. While marketed as a "social casino" that does not involve real money gambling, the suit claims the site uses a system known as "Stake Cash," which can be redeemed for cryptocurrency or digital gift cards, effectively functioning as real money. The plaintiffs also allege that Drake, Ross and Nguyen use the "tipping" function of the casino to transfer money "between and among themselves," with some of the funds used to manipulate streaming platforms, such as Spotify. The documents say the trio's efforts were used "to create fraudulent streams of Drake's music," which fabricated his popularity, distorted streaming playlists and "calibrated to mislead royalty and recommendation engines." As a consequence, the suit alleges their actions "suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers' access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated [streaming music] experiences," according to CBC News. (ANI)
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