According to a new lawsuit, Drake, popular streamer Adin Ross, and others have been accused of being part of an online gambling scheme with the online casino platform, Stake.us. The lawsuit, which was filed in a Virginia courtroom, claims that the rapper used profits from this alleged scheme to inflate his streaming numbers artificially.
The plaintiffs, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, claim that the “Nokia” rapper, Ross, and another man identified as George Nguyen were “zealous promoters” of the digital casino platform. Per Ridley and Hines, the trio not only “preyed upon consumers,” but they also potentially exposed them to “substantial risks of gambling addiction.” The two women claim they were “influenced to participate” in Stake’s “predatory gambling environment” after viewing Drake’s continued promotion of the site.
Drake & Ross Allegedly Used Tipping Feature As A “Money Transfer Conduit”
The lawsuit also claims that the trio used the platform’s “tipping” feature to transfer money amongst themselves. Ridley and Hines claim that the trio used Stake like a covert “money transfer conduit.” It works as “an unlimited and wholly unregulated money transmitter that appears to exist outside the oversight of any financial regulator.” There was also mention that the funds from the alleged scheme were used to “finance fraudulent streams” and “amplification campaigns” against the rapper’s competitors.
“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 suit reads. “This manipulation has suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers’ access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences.”
]Along with Ridley and Hines, the lawsuit will work to represent other Virginia residents who “lost one or more wagers using Stake Cash within the last three years.” Drake and his co-conspirators are accused of violating the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, which is a violation of the federal RICO statute.
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