Drake accused of inflating play counts on streamers in online gambling RICO suit

“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 complaint reads.

Stake.us rose from the ashes of Stake.com after the latter was banned from operating in the U.S. The site allows users to use funny money in the form of Stake Cash and Gold Coins instead of actual currency. Drake and his fellow plaintiffs allegedly used the site’s money transfer capabilities as “an unlimited and wholly unregulated money transmitter that appears to exist outside the oversight of any financial regulator.” The suit claims that the three used their profits from Stake to “create fraudulent streams of Drake’s music; 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.” The class-action suit in Virginia seeks residents who lost one or more wagers using Stake Cash in the last three years.

Keep scrolling for more great stories from A.V. Club.