At a Glance
- Drake, Adin Ross, and George Nguyen sued for using Stake.us to inflate music streams.
- Lawsuits filed in Virginia, Missouri, and New Mexico.
- Allegations involve hiding gambling profits via the site’s tipping feature.
- Why it matters: It challenges the integrity of streaming charts and the legality of online gambling.
A federal class-action RICO lawsuit filed in Virginia accuses superstar rapper Drake, online streamer Adin Ross, and Australian national George Nguyen of using the online sweepstakes casino Stake.us to boost the play counts of his music and conceal gambling proceeds.
RICO Allegations
The suit claims the trio employed automated bots and streaming farms to inflate plays on major platforms such as Spotify, aiming to manufacture popularity and distort playlists and charts. They allegedly used Stake.us’s internal transfer features to hide how money was used to finance the fraud. No criminal charges have been filed yet.
Stake.us Tipping Feature
Stake.us is a U.S. storefront for Stake.com that bypasses federal and Virginia gambling regulations. The lawsuit describes the user-to-user tipping feature as an unlimited, unregulated money transmitter outside any financial regulator’s oversight.
Related Lawsuits
In Missouri, a separate lawsuit filed on Oct. 27, 2025, accuses the same trio of promoting an illegal online gambling operation, alleging that Stake.us is a virtual clone of Stake.com designed to mislead regulators. That case is set for trial on March 20. A New Mexico lawsuit filed Oct. 29 targets the same allegations, and Ross dismissed both in an online post calling them “f—–g bull—t.”
| Date | Court | Allegations |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia | RICO, fraudulent streaming inflation |
| Oct. 27, 2025 | Jackson County Circuit Court, Missouri | Illegal online gambling, Stake.us clone |
| Oct. 29, 2025 | 2nd Judicial District Court, New Mexico | Illegal online gambling |
Key Takeaways
- The trio faces a RICO claim for inflating music streams.
- Stake.us’s tipping feature is central to hiding gambling profits.
- Similar illegal gambling allegations have been filed in Missouri and New Mexico.
The lawsuits highlight growing scrutiny of online gambling platforms and the tactics used to manipulate music streaming metrics.
