Drake’s in hot water over allegations his music streams are rigged using a casino.
Drake has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging he manipulated music streaming numbers through an online casino platform. Filed in Virginia on Wednesday, the lawsuit names two consumers, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, as plaintiffs against the rapper, along with streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen.
The suit accuses the defendants of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy that exploited consumers while exposing them to the risks associated with gambling addiction. Central to the allegations is the assertion that the trio utilized Stake.us, a casino site where Drake signed an endorsement deal in 2022, to fund artificial streaming practices that inflated the play counts of his music.
According to reports from Rolling Stone and Complex, the complaint outlines a scheme where money was transferred through Stake’s internal “tipping” feature, ostensibly to pay for “fake streaming” or “botting.” This alleged manipulation aimed to create a false sense of popularity for Drake’s tracks, mislead listeners, and undermine the integrity of music streaming services. The suit claims Drake and his co-defendants aimed to distort recommendation algorithms while diverting funds to support this scheme.
“At the heart of the scheme, Drake—acting directly and through willing and knowledgeable co-conspirators—has deployed automated bots and streaming farms to artificially inflate play counts of his music across major platforms, such as Spotify,” the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs argue this manipulation not only harmed their experience as consumers but also suppressed authentic artists in the industry.
Ridley and Hines are seeking damages and penalties, along with a court order to halt the defendants’ alleged actions. This isn’t the first legal trouble for Drake related to Stake; he’s been named in two other lawsuits in October concerning similar issues. As the case unfolds, it raises serious questions about the intersection of music promotion and gambling platforms.
