Drake named in RICO lawsuit over crypto casino promotion

Rapper Drake has been named as a defendant in a RICO class-action lawsuit linked to his promotion and use of crypto casino Stake.

The lawsuit was filed on December 31, 2025, in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Popular streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen were also named as defendants in the filing.

The complaint alleges the defendants used Stake’s tipping feature to obscure money transfers tied to music streaming botting schemes.

Plaintiffs claim the alleged activity artificially inflated Drake’s music streaming statistics across major platforms.

This consumer class action seeks to stop Stake.us—an illegal online gambling platform promoted by Drake, Ross and Nguyen—from continuing to prey upon consumers.

The complaint said.

The lawsuit argues Stake.us was marketed as a “social casino” to bypass United States gambling regulations.

Plaintiffs allege Stake.us operates as an illegal online casino despite claims it does not involve real money gambling.

The suit seeks to represent Virginia residents and other US users who purchased Gold Coins bundled with Stake Cash.

Stake Cash can allegedly be redeemed for cryptocurrency and used for wagering on the platform.

The filing requests no less than $5 million in damages and demands a jury trial.

The lawsuit follows a similar case filed in Missouri in October accusing Drake and Ross of fraudulent promotion of Stake.us.