Drake Accused of Manipulating Streaming Play Counts With Bots in New Lawsuit

Drake is being sued in a federal court in Virginia, alongside Stake.us, Adin Ross, and George Nguyen, for allegedly promoting an illegal online casino and using it to boost music streaming numbers. The lawsuit claims Stake.us misrepresented its operations, allowing users to gamble with real money despite claiming to be a “social casino” where winnings aren’t redeemable for cash. Plaintiffs LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines allege violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Virginia consumer protection laws, seeking at least $5 million in damages.

The complaint details how Drake and Ross were allegedly paid by Stake to promote the site, even gambling with funds provided by the company. Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that Drake, Ross, and Nguyen transferred money through Stake’s “Tipping” program and used these funds to operate bots that artificially inflated Drake’s streaming counts on platforms like Spotify. This isn’t the first legal challenge to Drake’s relationship with Stake.us; a similar lawsuit was filed in Missouri in October.

Drake signed a reported $100 million per year endorsement deal with Stake in 2022, and previously voiced concerns about withdrawing funds from the platform. Stake.us and representatives for Drake have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this latest lawsuit.

(Source：Gizmodo)