A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Drake, Adin Ross, and Stake‘s parent company, Sweepsteaks Limited. The lawsuit alleges that Drake and Ross promoted an illegal online casino, presented to unsuspecting customers as a “social casino.” The pair was also accused of misleading viewers with their gambling streams. In the streams, they were alleged to have lied about gambling with their own money.
Drake and Adin Ross sued over ‘deceptive’ Kick gambling livestreams
A lawsuit has been filed against Drake, Adin Ross, and Sweepsteaks Limited in Jackson County Circuit Court, Missouri. Drake and Ross are accused by an Independence, Missouri native of “deceptive, fraudulent, and unfair” practices violating state law.
In a 34-page document, the plaintiff Justin Killham, who sued Drake and Ross, claimed he lost money gambling on Stake due to “wrongful trade practices.”
The lawsuit called Stake.com, “the world’s most popular and profitable online casino.” It noted that the site found itself banned from entering the US market due to strong regulations. The suit alleged that Sweepsteaks Limited created a clone of the site Stake.us to work around the ban. The company was also accused of rebranding the site to trick people into believing it offered harmless gameplay and hiding its unlawful nature.
Stake.us is also alleged to be functioning like a full casino via “Stake Cash.” These are digital tokens that could be wagered on casino games and “redeemed at a 1:1 ratio to the U.S. dollar.”
Drake and Ross were alleged to have each been paid millions of dollars annually by Stake to engage in “promotional ‘livestream’ online casino gambling.” Further, the pair was accused of lying about gambling with their own money and concealing the fact that they used Stake funds.
Moreover, the lawsuit claimed that the “Hotline Bling” artist and Kick streamer helped Stake drive Missouri natives to the platform. They are alleged to have done this via livestreams and social media posts showing large-scale wagers and jackpots.
Stake rejected the claims made in the lawsuit. “We have not been served at this time,” they shared in a statement. “We reject allegations that have been made in the media in relation to this potential claim and will vigorously defend this and all such claims,” it continues. (via SiGMA News)
Drake and Adin Ross have not yet publicly addressed the lawsuit. However, months ago, the rapper called out Stake for not letting him withdraw funds. Further, one week before this, he closed his Kick account after falling out with owners Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.
