The legal fight over "sweepstakes casinos" keeps spreading state by state. New Mexico players have now sued Stake.us and its celebrity promoters — but the case is early, the defendants deny everything, and there is nothing to claim.
Allegations Only · No Settlement Yet
This article describes a class action complaint. The statements below are unproven allegations. Neither Sweepsteaks Limited nor Drake, Adin Ross, or any other party has been found liable, there is no certified class, and nothing to claim at this time. The defendants deny the allegations. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
The wave of lawsuits over "sweepstakes casinos" has reached New Mexico. In a class action filed in late October 2025, two New Mexico residents accuse Stake.us of operating what they call an illegal online casino dressed up as a free-to-play sweepstakes game — and they name the platform's high-profile promoters, musician Drake and streamer Adin Ross, as defendants. The case, brought as Torres v. Sweepsteaks Limited, was filed in New Mexico's Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) and seeks to recover money New Mexico players allegedly lost.One point of accuracy up front: the celebrity defendant is Adin Ross, the Kick and Twitch livestreamer — not the musician Rick Ross, who is not part of this or the related cases. Every claim in the complaint is an allegation; the defendants deny the allegations, and nothing has been decided by any court.
What the New Mexico Complaint Alleges
Like the other sweepstakes-casino suits, the New Mexico case targets the platform's dual-currency design. Stake.us gives players "Gold Coins," described as a play-for-fun currency with no cash value, alongside a second currency — "Stake Cash" — that the complaint alleges can be redeemed for cryptocurrency or gift cards at a value tied to the U.S. dollar. The plaintiffs allege this structure is a workaround: that in practice players are wagering real money on casino-style games, which they contend is unlawful online gambling under New Mexico law. The complaint brings New Mexico gaming and consumer-protection claims and asks the court to let players recover their losses.The allegations against Drake and Adin Ross go beyond a typical endorsement. The complaint alleges they promoted Stake.us to large livestream audiences under misleading pretenses — including, as the plaintiffs frame it, gambling with "house money" supplied by the platform rather than the ordinary funds available to the public, in a way that made the experience look more winnable than it is. All of this is contested. As the plaintiffs' allegations, none of it has been proven, and the defendants reject the characterization.
Where the Case Stands: The Arbitration Battle
The most important early development is procedural. In early 2026, the defendants moved to compel individual arbitration, pointing to Stake.us's terms and conditions — which the company says every user accepts — and their clause routing disputes into private, one-on-one arbitration rather than a public class action. If the court grants that motion, the named plaintiffs' claims would likely proceed privately and individually, and the proposed class action would stall before it ever reaches a class-certification fight. As of this writing, that arbitration question was reported to be pending.The arbitration issue is not unique to New Mexico. Stake's terms include a class-action waiver, and an earlier consumer suit against the operator in California was ordered into arbitration. Whether these class actions can stay in court at all — or get funneled into individual arbitration — is one of the central questions running through the entire sweepstakes-casino docket.
One Front in a Nationwide Wave
New Mexico is one of many jurisdictions where Stake.us and its promoters are being challenged. It is separate from, but part of the same story as, several other cases OCA has covered:- A federal RICO class action in Virginia — Ridley v. Sweepsteaks Ltd. — which names Drake and Adin Ross and adds allegations that money moved through the platform to fund music-streaming "botting."
- An earlier Missouri consumer class action, Killham v. Sweepsteaks Ltd., which also names Drake and Adin Ross.
- The Los Angeles City Attorney's enforcement action against Stake.us — a government suit, not a class action.
- Earlier operator-only suits against Stake.us in California and Illinois that did not name the celebrity promoters.
These are different plaintiffs, legal theories, and courts, and reporting has described them as part of a broader surge of dozens of lawsuits over the sweepstakes-casino model nationwide. New Mexico's case adds a state-law consumer-protection front to that pile.
What Happens Next
The next milestone is the court's decision on the motion to compel arbitration. If arbitration is denied, the case moves toward discovery and an eventual fight over whether it can be certified as a class action; if it is granted, the public class case likely ends and any dispute moves behind closed doors. Either way, there is nothing to claim right now — no settlement exists, and OCA will update this page if the court rules or the case's status changes.Frequently Asked Questions
What does the New Mexico Stake.us class action allege?
The complaint alleges that Stake.us — a self-described "social" or "sweepstakes" casino — is really unlawful online gambling under New Mexico law, disguised by a dual-currency system, and that Drake and Adin Ross promoted it under misleading pretenses. It brings New Mexico gaming and consumer-protection claims and seeks to recover gambling losses for a class of New Mexico players. These are allegations only; the defendants deny them and no court has ruled on the merits.
Who is being sued?
The defendants are Sweepsteaks Limited, the operator behind Stake.us, along with the platform's celebrity promoters Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake) and streamer Adin Ross. Note this case names Adin Ross, the livestreamer — not the musician Rick Ross, who is not a party.
Can I file a claim or join the New Mexico Stake.us lawsuit?
No. There is no settlement, no claim form, and no certified class. The case is at an early stage — the defendants have moved to push it into private, individual arbitration under Stake.us's terms of service. If a settlement with a claim process is ever reached, this page will be updated.
How is this different from the other Stake.us lawsuits?
The New Mexico case is a state-court consumer class action built on New Mexico gambling and consumer-protection law. It is separate from the federal RICO class action in Virginia (which adds music-"botting" allegations), the earlier Missouri class action, and the Los Angeles City Attorney's government enforcement action against Stake.us. They are different plaintiffs, theories, and courts, part of a nationwide wave of sweepstakes-casino litigation.
Sources
• Complex — Drake, Adin Ross and Stake sued in New Mexico over deceptive gambling practices• Forbes — Drake, Adin Ross and Stake sued over deceptive online gambling practices
• Legal Sports Report — the related Missouri class action against Stake.us and Drake
• HotNewHipHop — defendants move to push the New Mexico case into arbitration (Feb 2026)
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