Drake and Adin Ross Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Illegal Gambling Promotion

It looks like the dice may not have rolled in Drake’s favor this time. The Grammy-winning rapper and streamer Adin Ross are now facing a lawsuit that accuses them of promoting illegal online gambling through the platform Stake — a site known for its flashy sponsorships, celebrity ties, and massive betting streams.

According to Complex, Missouri resident Justin Killham filed the lawsuit against Drake, Ross, and Sweepstakes Limited, the parent company of Stake. He claims the company and its celebrity promoters are “openly violating … Missouri state gaming and consumer protection laws” by pushing gambling to residents where it isn’t legally allowed.

Stake’s U.S. website, Stake.us, is marketed as a “social casino.” But Killham’s lawsuit argues that it’s actually a “virtual clone” of Stake.com, the international version where real-money bets are made.

“To hide the true nature of its online gambling operation,” the complaint says, Stake sells “Gold Coins” that supposedly have no cash value. But with each purchase, players also receive “Stake Cash” as a “free bonus” — tokens that can be wagered and even cashed out at a one-to-one ratio with the U.S. dollar.

That, Killham claims, “exposes Stake Cash as a clear vehicle for real-money gambling.”

Drake and Ross are accused of helping Stake build its audience by glamorizing online gambling to millions of followers. The lawsuit alleges that “Stake in particular pays online influencer-defendants Adin Ross and Aubrey Drake Graham each millions of dollars yearly to engage in promotion ‘livestream online casino gambling with Stake.com.’”

It also claims that both stars misled their audiences by suggesting they were betting with their own money — when, according to the lawsuit, as reported by Complex, they were actually using funds supplied by Stake.

“These acts are deceptive, fraudulent and unfair and violate Missouri law,” the complaint reads. “Drake and Ross deceptively and fraudulently misrepresent, as does Stake itself, that Stake is a social casino and not a real one.”

Killham is seeking “recovery of gambling losses” on behalf of himself and others who say they were harmed by the platform’s practices. The suit describes the company’s advertising blitz as targeting “younger consumers or those with gambling addiction issues,” accusing Stake of flooding social media with influencer content to lure players into betting.

Stake, however, is standing firm. A company spokesperson told SiGMA News, “We reject allegations that have been made in the media in relation to this potential claim and will vigorously defend this and all such claims.”

While Drake and Adin Ross have yet to comment publicly, the case raises new questions about the blurred lines between social gaming and gambling — especially when celebrities and streamers get involved.

For now, it seems the real game is happening not on a screen, but in court.