Drake faces RICO lawsuit for alleged gambling and music streaming fraud.

Drake, the 5-time GRAMMY winner who dominated civil courts in 2025 as a plaintiff, now finds himself in the defendant’s role in 2026. Shocking allegations of engaging in illegal gambling practices and payola-like activities have emerged against him, along with streamer Adin Ross and George Nguyen.

According to court documents obtained by USA TODAY, a class action lawsuit filed on December 31 accuses the trio of promoting an illegal online casino called Stake.us. The lawsuit claims they used proceeds from the website to boost streams of Drake’s music through “ongoing music botting campaigns.”

Despite being the highest-streamed artist in the history of music streaming, Drake and his co-defendants are facing serious allegations. The lawsuit describes Stake.us as one of the largest and most profitable illegal online casinos, alleging that the defendants used the platform’s tipping program to transfer money among themselves without financial oversight.

The complaint filed on behalf of LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines also accuses Ross, Nguyen, and Graham of bombarding consumers with misleading advertisements on social media. These ads depict Stake’s games as safe, legal, and entertaining, but the lawsuit claims that these casino games are illegal in Virginia and across the United States, resulting in harm to consumers who have lost money on the platform.

In addition to promoting illegal gambling, the lawsuit further alleges that funds from Stake.us were used to manipulate streams of Drake’s music, inflate his popularity, undermine competitors and music label executives, manipulate recommendation algorithms, and finance these activities while concealing the flow of money.

These startling accusations bear a resemblance to the claims Drake previously made against Kendrick Lamar over the popularity of his diss track ‘Not Like Us.’ The lawsuit asserts that the actions of Drake and his co-defendants violate the RICO and Virginia Consumer Protection Act, seeking damages and a jury trial as recourse.

As of now, Drake has not publicly commented on the lawsuit or responded to the allegations. The unfolding legal battle raises questions about the integrity of online promotions, gambling practices, and the influence of celebrities in the digital age. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the music industry and online entertainment platforms.