The Attack on Sweeps Continues
The new year barely had time to warm up before the lawsuits started flying.
On December 31, a federal class-action complaint landed in the Eastern District of Virginia, targeting Stake.us, longtime brand promoter Drake, content creator Adin Ross, and associate George Nguyen. The case accuses the group of being part of a coordinated scheme involving illegal online gambling, deceptive marketing, and financial misconduct.
It’s a big swing, and it wastes no time setting the tone for what could be another tough year for sweepstakes-style gaming platforms.
What the Lawsuit Claims
The complaint was filed by two Virginia residents on behalf of a proposed nationwide class. They allege they were misled into effectively wagering real money on Stake.us, which they claim has operated as an unlawful online casino since at least 2022.
According to the complaint, Stake.us is essentially a U.S.-facing version of Stake.com, designed to sidestep federal and state gambling laws. While the site is marketed as a social casino with free-to-play virtual currency, the plaintiffs argue that’s only part of the picture.
They claim players can buy bundled credits that include a currency redeemable at a 1:1 ratio with the U.S. dollar. Put simply, money goes in and money can come out, even if it’s wrapped in sweepstakes-style branding. That setup, the plaintiffs argue, is the core issue at the center of the case.
The complaint goes further than gambling and promotion, tying the platform to a separate allegation involving music streaming manipulation; a twist that pushes the case well beyond the casino world.
Why Sweepstakes Mechanics Are Front and Center
This case echoes arguments made in other recent lawsuits against Stake and its promoters, including one filed in Missouri last October.
Plaintiffs argue that Stake.us operates like real-money gambling while marketing itself as entertainment-only gaming. That gap between how the platform is presented and how it actually works is central to the lawsuit, which challenges whether the sweepstakes label meaningfully changes the experience for players.
Celebrity Promotion Under the Microscope
The lawsuit doesn’t just target the platform, it goes straight after the celebrities behind it.
According to the complaint, Drake and Adin Ross were paid promoters who regularly livestreamed gambling sessions on Stake.us using funds supplied by the company, not their own money. The lawsuit says the streams made it look like real gambling with personal money, when the funds were actually supplied by the site.
Those streams, the lawsuit claims, helped create the impression that gambling on Stake.us was low-risk, routine, and even profitable. Fans watching at home were encouraged to jump in, believing they were seeing authentic play rather than a sponsored performance.
The complaint goes a step further, arguing that these celebrity-backed streams weren’t just advertising. They were a key part of pulling users into wagering real money on the site.
Following the Money
One of the more technical and potentially serious allegations focuses on Stake.us’s internal tipping and transfer features. Plaintiffs claim those tools effectively acted as an unregulated money system, allowing large sums to move between users with limited transparency.
The complaint points to six-figure tips, major promotional giveaways, and high-value transfers allegedly routed through the platform, arguing that the system obscured where money came from, where it went, and why it was sent.
According to the lawsuit, that lack of visibility helped mask counterparties and the true purpose behind certain payments.
The Curveball: Music Streaming Manipulation
Then there’s the allegation no one saw coming.
According to the complaint, Drake allegedly used funds routed through Stake.us to help pay for automated bot networks and streaming farms that artificially boosted his music on major platforms. Plaintiffs claim payments sent through the site were used to compensate third-party operators whose job was to inflate streams and influence charts.
It’s an unusual allegation, and one that expands the case well beyond sweepstakes gambling, raising questions about how money moving through the platform may have been used outside the casino itself.
The Legal Theory: RICO
Taken together, the allegations form the backbone of the lawsuit’s most serious claim: that the defendants operated an ongoing enterprise built on illegal gambling, deceptive promotion, and deliberately obscured money flows.
That’s why the complaint invokes the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a powerful federal statute more commonly associated with organized crime than online casinos. Invoking RICO is a serious escalation, and it signals that this case isn’t just about consumer confusion or marketing disclosures. It’s about whether the entire operation crossed into something systemic.
The lawsuit seeks class certification, significant monetary damages, including treble damages under RICO, along with restitution, disgorgement of profits, and a court order that could halt Stake.us operations in the United States altogether.
Early Days, Big Stakes
The case was filed during the holidays and remains in its early stages. None of the allegations have been tested in court yet, and the defendants have not responded publicly to the claims.
Still, the scope of the lawsuit is hard to ignore. It touches on sweepstakes gambling, influencer marketing, crypto-style payments, and even music streaming economics, all in one filing.
If nothing else, it makes one thing clear: 2026 is starting exactly the way 2025 ended; with sweepstakes casinos, celebrity promotion, and regulators all colliding in court.
Blaise Luis
