Several high-profile entertainers and personalities have been named in a new racketeering and illegal gambling lawsuit, with a new lawsuit filed in New Jersey last Wednesday, April 22.
Gambling Lawsuit Names Influencers, Popular Gambling Platform
The lawsuit targets Drake, Adin Ross, and DJ Akademiks over their alleged promotional ties and support of Stake.us, which is also named as a defendant in the case, and adds to a number of similar lawsuits already filed across the United States, specifically in Missouri, New Mexico, and Virginia.
The prominent personalities have allegedly used their celebrity status to influence people to use the website and place wagers.
The plaintiff, one Jason Nufio of Roselle, New Jersey, argues in the complaint that he lost money on Stake.us, and that the website itself violates state gambling laws. Stake.us, however, is a social casino only, and it does not offer real money gambling per se.
The lawsuit takes aim at this claim as well, arguing that Stake.us uses a virtual currency called gold coins as a “fig leaf” to “avoid the appearance of illegal gambling.”
Nevertheless, New Jersey outlawed sweepstakes casinos as early as August 15, 2025. The lawsuit then goes on to outline detailed accusations against each of the defendants, including Akademiks, who “knowingly and directly contributed to Drake’s inflation of his streaming numbers through bot networks by publishing and promoting information that he knew to be false.”
Similar Complaints Appear in New York, But No One Is Convicted
Stake.us is also accused of not disclosing that Adin Ross and Drake “did not face financial risk” when they gambled on stream to promote the service.
“They have inflicted harm on consumers across the State who have lost real money chasing gambling wins on the Stake platform,” the complaint adds.
A similar complaint was filed in New York, where another plaintiff argued that Stake.us had been targeting young people through influencers.