Overview
- The complaint, filed Dec. 31 in the Eastern District of Virginia by LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, names Drake, Adin Ross, George Nguyen, and Stake/Sweepsteaks Ltd. as defendants.
- Plaintiffs allege Stake’s tipping feature was used to move funds among the defendants to finance botting and paid amplification of Drake’s music, citing a public $100,000 tip and the 2024 “Drizzmas” giveaway as examples.
- The suit claims Stake.us functions as an unlawful dual-currency online casino by bundling Gold Coins with cash-redeemable “Stake Cash,” despite marketing the platform as a social sweepstakes product.
- The filing says Drake and Ross promoted Stake through livestreamed gambling using funds surreptitiously provided by the platform, and it references a roughly $220,000 car Stake allegedly gifted Ross days before the suit.
- Filed on behalf of Virginia users who lost wagers using Stake Cash, the class action seeks damages, restitution, and an injunction, and it joins similar 2025 lawsuits in Missouri and New Mexico with no rulings to date.