Edelson PC, the same law firm that successfully represented the plaintiffs suing High 5 Games in the state of Washington, has filed another case, and this time it’s against sweepstakes operator Stake.us in Illinois.
Stake.us Is Allegedly Misrepresenting Itself As A Free-To-Play Gaming Site
An Illinois man, Brayden Urdan, has filed a lawsuit against betting operator Stake.us in the Northern District of Illinois, claiming the platform is running a copy of its real-money casino site Stake.com and misrepresenting itself as only a free-to-play gaming site.
Urdan alleges that the company is violating state gaming laws and misleading the general public. The suit states that Stake.us is using a dual-currency system to circumvent gambling laws in the Prairie State.
The plaintiff claims that Stake.com uses the same celebrity promotional figures as Stake.us, such as Canadian rapper and actor Drake and MMA fighter Israel Adesanya.
“The point of Stake’s aggressive sponsorship strategy is clear: by linking itself with globally admired celebrities and teams, Stake aims to normalize online gambling, increase consumer trust, and disguise the risks of gambling behind an appealing entertainment-focused image,” the filing reads.
“Critically, Stake.us and Stake.com sponsor the exact same celebrities and sports teams, further demonstrating that Stake.us is simply a strategic copy of Stake.com, deceptively rebranded as a “social casino” to evade gambling regulations.”
High 5 Games Was Ordered To Pay $25 Million In Damages As Part Of Class Action Lawsuit
This is the second high-profile lawsuit for Stake.us so far in 2025. A similar case in California started in the state court before being remanded up to the California federal court system. That lawsuit was filed by Dennis Boyle.
Sweeps operators are being targeted all across the nation.
In February, High 5 Games was ordered to pay nearly $25 million in damages as part of a class action lawsuit filed in Washington state tied to its sweepstakes casino business model.
High 5 Games structured its sweepstakes casino operations around the practice of selling virtual chips that allow for continued gameplay without providing any avenue for real-money payouts.
Court documents alleged that High 5 engaged in a revenue model that constitutes gambling.
Plaintiffs argued that while the player could not withdraw real money from their wins, they needed to expend real money to acquire virtual money for continuing games.
U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright agreed with the plaintiffs, asserting that the High 5 Casino and High 5 Vegas apps were illegal in Washington.
A jury trial was then held to determine the extent of the damages. Through betting slips or payment receipts, it was determined that players from Washington state had lost more than $17.7 million in total on the game.
This figure must now be repaid by High 5 Games, as well as an additional $7.2 million in damage claims under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.