Drake’s already off to a rocky start in 2026, facing serious allegations of buying fake streams through gambling funds.
As the new year kicks off, Drake finds himself embroiled in a legal battle stemming from accusations of manipulating music streaming figures. A class-action lawsuit was filed in Virginia on December 31, naming Drake alongside streamer Adin Ross, Australian content creator George Nguyen, and online casino Stake as defendants. The claims suggest that they engaged in an elaborate scheme to inflate streaming numbers for Drake’s music.
The plaintiffs, who are users of Stake, argue that Drake, who has been promoting the online casino, and Ross exploited Stake’s tipping feature to transfer significant sums of money—reportedly as much as $100,000 at a time. This money then allegedly flowed to Nguyen, who purportedly used it to artificially boost Drake’s streaming counts on platforms like Spotify.
Stake operates in various states that prohibit real-money online gambling, attempting to sidestep these laws by offering “play money” that can be exchanged for free tokens. However, these tokens hold no real value, though they can be wagered and later converted to cash for withdrawal. If a court rules against them, both Drake and Ross could face legal repercussions for promoting Stake.
The lawsuit’s complaint outlines a coordinated effort to mislead streaming services through automated bots and streaming farms, which were used to generate false play counts on major platforms. This manipulation, the plaintiffs argue, not only harmed other genuine artists but also compromised the overall integrity of music curation, limiting access to authentic content for listeners.
This Virginia lawsuit is not the first of its kind for Drake and his associates. They previously faced similar class-action lawsuits in Missouri and New Mexico, alleging that they were part of an illegal gambling operation. As the case progresses, it could have significant implications not just for Drake but for the broader music industry and its relationship with online platforms.
