Canadian rapper Drake has been accused of using an online casino platform to artificially boost the streaming numbers of his music.
The Hotline Bling hitmaker, who signed an endorsement deal with online casino Stake.us in 2022, is facing a new class-action lawsuit filed in Virginia on Wednesday. The suit was brought by two Stake consumers, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, who allege racketeering conspiracy.
Drake, alongside popular streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen, was named as a defendant in the suit. The plaintiffs accused the trio of exploiting consumers and exposing them to what they described as “substantial risks of gambling addiction” as part of an alleged scheme.
According to reports by Rolling Stone and Complex, the lawsuit claimed that proceeds from Stake were used to artificially inflate streaming numbers for Drake’s music. The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants used Stake’s internal “tipping” feature to move money among themselves, which was then used to fund artificial streaming activities, commonly known as botting.
The complaint further alleged that the scheme was designed to fabricate Drake’s popularity, suppress competing artists, distort music recommendation algorithms, and mislead both consumers and industry executives, while concealing the flow of funds.
“At the heart of the scheme, Drake — acting directly and through willing and knowledgeable co-conspirators — deployed automated bots and streaming farms to artificially inflate play counts of his music across major platforms such as Spotify,” the lawsuit stated.
The plaintiffs said the alleged manipulation limited consumers’ access to genuine content and undermined the integrity of music streaming platforms. They are seeking damages, penalties, and a court order to stop the alleged conduct.
Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, was also named in two other Stake-related lawsuits filed in October. As of the time of reporting, no official response has been issued by the rapper or his representatives.
