Rapper Drake, Adin Ross, and Sweepsteaks Limited, the company that owns the online social casino Stake.us, were sued in a class action lawsuit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court in Missouri.
The lawsuit accuses Stake.us of circumventing state gambling laws and alleges that Drake and Ross have been participating in a “deeply fraudulent” marketing campaign for the company.
Plaintiff Sued Drake, Adin Ross, Stake.us Over Casino Promotion
According to the filing, “Stake.us is a virtual clone of Stake.com, rebranded to mislead Missouri regulators and consumers into believing it offers harmless gameplay instead of an unlawful gambling platform.”
Plaintiff Justin Killham claims he lost money on Stake.us “as a result of Defendants’ wrongful trade practices,” accusing Stake of disguising itself as a “social casino” that does not offer real gambling, in order to bypass state laws that prohibit online gambling.
Killham’s lawsuit accuses Stake of evading gambling laws on Stake.us by bundling user purchases of “Gold Coins,” which have no real-world value, with a bonus of “Stake Cash,” which can be gambled and then cashed in for cryptocurrency, which the suit says is a “clear vehicle for real-money gambling.”
Per Suswati Basu of ReadWrite, the lawsuit cites an April 2025 Missouri Gaming Commission alert warning the public that “Online casinos are illegal in Missouri” and that unregulated gambling sites expose players’ financial information.
Drake, Ross Allegedly Gambled With House Money
In addition, the suit accuses Drake and Ross, both of whom have partnerships with Stake, of targeting young adults with their marketing for the platform and gambling using “house money” Stake provides them, meaning any losses they might share on social media are “part of a marketing tactic designed to draw attention.”
Despite not actually losing any money, Drake reportedly made millions from these promotions, with his livestreams featuring massive bets that drew in large audiences.
According to the complaint, Stake also “flooded social media platforms in Missouri and elsewhere with slick ads, influencer videos and flashy visuals” that established the notion that its games are safe to play.
Killham’s requesting that the case proceed as a class action on behalf of “All persons in Missouri who gambled and lost money in Stake’s online casino at any time during the five years preceding the filing of this action.”