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drake, Adin Ross Accused of Fraud in New Class Action Lawsuit Over Stake.us Promotions
A new class action lawsuit alleges that rapper Drake, American streamer Adin Ross, and an Australian resident conspired to defraud users of the online betting platform Stake.us, possibly using the scheme to artificially inflate Drake’s streaming numbers.
A lawsuit filed in federal court in Virginia accuses the three men of luring users into a “predatory betting environment” and exposing them to the risks of gambling addiction. plaintiffs LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines claim they were incentivized to participate on Stake.us after viewing Drake’s paid promotions, which included betting streams and giveaways.
According to the legal filing, Drake, Ross, and Australian citizen George Nguyen acted as “fervent promoters” of Stake.us in exchange for payments and access to the platform, described as a means of covertly transferring funds. Representatives for drake declined to comment on the allegations, while Ross and Nguyen have not yet issued statements.
The lawsuit further alleges that the trio utilized Stake.us’s peer-to-peer system to directly transfer money amongst themselves, characterizing it as “a totally unregulated and unlimited money mechanism, apparently operating outside the supervision of any financial authority.” The plaintiffs contend these funds were then used to boost streams of Drake’s music and fund promotional campaigns, some of which allegedly disparaged competitors.
Stake.us,however,disputes these claims. In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as “a meaningless claim” and stated the company “is not concerned about this lawsuit,” further asserting that the platform “does not have a tipping feature that can be used in this way.”
The accusations extend to alleged manipulation of streaming numbers on platforms like Spotify, with the lawsuit claiming Drake and his associates “used automated bots and stream farms to boost listening numbers.” This echoes similar allegations leveled against Spotify in a separate recent lawsuit, which argued such manipulation “has displaced authentic artists and limited consumer access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences.”
Nguyen is identified in the lawsuit as the owner of the Instagram account @grandwizardchatn***a, allegedly serving as an “intermediary and operational facilitator.” The filing details his alleged role in receiving cryptocurrency through Stake.us and coordinating with bot providers to amplify Drake’s music and manage paid promotional campaigns on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Leaked communications and chat logs purportedly document Nguyen’s management of funds and orchestration of these campaigns.
The plaintiffs assert they have been harmed by “deceptive marketing manipulation and abuses” committed by Drake, Ross, and Nguyen, and were “induced to register and transact on stake.us based on defendants’ representations.” The class action seeks to represent Virginia residents who lost money betting with Stake Cash over the past three years, alleging violations of the Virginia consumer Protection Act, participation in a racketeering conspiracy, and breaches of the federal RICO law.
This is not the first legal challenge for Drake, 39, and Adin Ross, 25, regarding their association with Stake.us. In October 2025, a man in Missouri filed a similar class action lawsuit against both, as well as Sweepsteaks Limited. The case was recently moved to federal court after initially being filed in Missouri state court.
Both the Virginia and Missouri lawsuits center on Stake.us’s alleged
