Rapper Drake and popular streamer Adin Ross are named as defendants in a new federal class-action lawsuit that claims they helped promote illegal online gambling and used streaming tools to hide how money was moved and spent.

The lawsuit was filed on December 31, 2025, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and centers on their promotion of the gambling platform Stake.us.

According to the complaint, reviewed by Complex, plaintiffs LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines say Stake.us has been "operating as one of the largest and most profitable illegal online casinos" since at least 2022.

The lawsuit claims the platform misled users by presenting itself as a safe and free "social casino" while allowing real money gambling through virtual currency.

The plaintiffs allege that Stake.us told users it does "not offer real money gambling" and that "no purchase or payment is necessary" to play, Complex reported.

However, the complaint argues those claims are false because users must buy Gold Coins, which are always bundled with Stake Cash.

Stake Cash, the lawsuit says, can be cashed out one-to-one for US dollars, making it real money gambling in practice.

Lawsuit Claims Drake, Ross Used House Money

Drake and Ross are described in the lawsuit as "zealous" and "paid" promoters of Stake.us. The filing claims they were given incentives to hide how the platform really worked.

One section alleges that both men took part in live-streamed gambling sessions using large sums of Stake Cash secretly provided by the company.

"Though Drake and Ross purported to be gambling with their own Stake Cash, it was in fact provided to them by the house," the lawsuit states.

The complaint also raises a separate and serious claim involving music streaming. According to CasinoBeats, it alleges that Stake.us's internal "tipping" and transfer systems were used to move large amounts of money, including a public $100,000 tip between Drake and Ross.

That money was allegedly used to fund artificial streaming, or "botting," to inflate play counts of Drake's music and distort recommendation algorithms on major platforms.

Ridley and Hines say they lost money after relying on the promotions and say they were misled about both the legality of the platform and how money moved inside it.

They are seeking at least $5 million in damages, civil penalties, and a court order to stop the alleged conduct.

This is not the first legal challenge tied to Stake.us promotions. Drake and Ross were also named in two similar lawsuits filed in Missouri and New Mexico in October 2025.

Ross later addressed those cases on a livestream, calling the claims "fucking bullshit."

Originally published on Music Times

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