Drake has been accused of using an online casino platform to artificially inflate streams of his music.
The Hotline Bling rapper, who signed an endorsement deal with Stake.us in 2022, is being sued for alleged racketeering conspiracy in a new class-action lawsuit filed by two Stake consumers, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, in Virginia on Wednesday.
Drake and his co-defendants, streamer Adin Ross and Australian national George Nguyen, are accused of preying upon consumers and unlawfully exposing them to the "substantial risks of gambling addiction" as part of a conspiracy that allegedly uses proceeds to "artificially inflate streaming counts" for Drake's music.
According to Rolling Stone and Complex, the complaint alleged that the three defendants used Stake's internal "tipping" feature to transfer money between themselves to fund "artificial streaming ('botting') to create fraudulent streams of Drake's music" and "fabricate popularity; disparage competitors and music label executives; distort recommendation algorithms; and distribute financing for all of the foregoing, while concealing the flow of funds".
"At the heart of the scheme, Drake - acting directly and through willing and knowledgeable co-conspirators - has deployed automated bots and streaming farms to artificially inflate play counts of his music across major platforms, such as Spotify," the lawsuit reads. "This manipulation has suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers' access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated experiences."
The plaintiffs, who claim they have been misled and damaged by the three men's "false marketing manipulation", are seeking damages, penalties, and an order stopping their conduct.
Drake, real name Aubrey Graham, was named as a defendant in two other Stake-related lawsuits in October.
