Stake.us lawsuits: what three court filings say about players' losses
What is Stake.us being sued for?
Stake.us faces at least three US lawsuits filed between August 2025 and August 2026, all alleging that its social casino model is real-money gambling. Florida's Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney seek back money residents lost on the site. A Virginia class action was stayed on 30 July 2026. None has been decided on its merits.
Piece published Reviewed by CryptoGuardz Register Desk, editorial desk
Stake.us faces at least three US lawsuits filed between August 2025 and August 2026, and two of them ask a court to hand back money residents lost on the site. Florida's Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney are the plaintiffs in those two. The third, a Virginia class action, was stayed on 30 July 2026 and sent to individual arbitration under clause 26 of Stake.us's own terms.
All three complaints make the same core allegation: that the "social casino" model is real-money gambling. None has been decided on its merits. Everything below is what the plaintiffs allege or what a court has ordered, and it is labelled as such.
What is Stake.us being sued for?
Operating an unlicensed casino. Stake.us sells Gold Coins, which have no cash value, and bundles them with Stake Cash, which can be redeemed. The Florida complaint, at paragraph 60, alleges Stake Cash becomes redeemable for real money on a 1:1 or near 1:1 basis once it has been wagered three times. The Virginia complaint puts it the same way: Stake Cash "can be redeemed for cryptocurrency or digital gift cards at a rate of 1 Stake Cash to 1 United States Dollar" (paragraph 6).
The Los Angeles release describes the site as offering more than 1,900 games and says Stake earned about $4.7 billion in gross revenue in 2024. That revenue figure is the City Attorney's, not an audited number.
Under the moniker of 'America's Social Casino,' and despite claims that it is just a game, Stake.us is a rogue and real money gambling racket with destructive repercussions for its players.
The three cases side by side
| Case | Filed | Court | Claims | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People of California v. Sweepsteaks Ltd. | Aug 2025 | LA Superior Court, 25STCV25304 | Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law | Pending, no ruling found |
| Ridley v. Sweepsteaks Ltd. | 31 Dec 2025 | E.D. Virginia, 1:25-cv-02511 | RICO, Virginia Consumer Protection Act | Stayed 30 Jul 2026 for arbitration |
| Florida v. Sweepsteaks Ltd. | 19 Aug 2026 | 13th Circuit, Hillsborough | Forfeiture of gambling losses, FDUTPA | Filed, no ruling found |
"No ruling found" means no order was located in public sources on 28 September 2026. It does not mean none exists.
Is Stake.com part of the Stake.us lawsuits?
Its operator is. Medium Rare N.V., the Curacao company that holds Stake.com's licence, is a named defendant in both the Los Angeles and Florida cases, alongside Easygo Group Holdings, Kick Streaming and Stake's two founders. The Florida suit also names two payment firms, Praxis Tech and Breeze Labs Payments. The Los Angeles suit goes wider and names game suppliers including Evolution, Hacksaw and Nolimit City, plus the identity-verification firm Veriff.
Stake.com itself does not take US players. Its terms, as recorded on the register on 2 September 2026, list the United States among forty-four restricted jurisdictions. A US resident reading about these suits is reading about Stake.us, the sweepstakes storefront, not the crypto casino the register covers.
Can players get their Stake.us losses back?
Not through a class action, and neither public case has a claims process yet. The Florida complaint's first count asks for forfeiture and recovery of money lost gambling under sections 849.12 and 849.29 of the Florida Statutes. The Los Angeles suit "aims to recover funds lost by Californians", in the release's words. Both are brought by public officials. Neither release sets out how an individual player would claim anything, and no court has ordered a payment.
A player suing on their own runs into the terms. In the Virginia case, the court quoted clause 26 of Stake.us's terms, which sends disputes to individual arbitration before the American Arbitration Association and waives class actions unless the player opted out in writing within 30 days of opening the account. None of the eight named plaintiffs had opted out. Judge Brinkema granted Stake's motion to compel arbitration and stayed the whole case, including the claims against Drake and Adin Ross. That ruling has its own page: the Drake and Stake arbitration ruling.
The public-official suits sit outside that clause. The City of Los Angeles and the State of Florida never clicked "Create an Account".
What has Stake said?
Stake's public answer to the Virginia case was procedural: a motion to compel arbitration, filed 6 May 2026, which the court granted. No public statement from Stake on the Florida or Los Angeles merits was found on 28 September 2026: not disclosed.
What this does not show
No court has found that Stake.us is illegal gambling. The allegations above are allegations. The Florida complaint was read through the Attorney General's published copy; the Los Angeles complaint itself was not read, only the City Attorney's release and its caption. The Virginia filings, the complaint, the opinion and the order, were read in full.
For what the register records about Stake.com's own licence and terms, see is Stake legit and the US terms breakdown.
Quick answers
Who is suing Stake.us?
Florida's Attorney General (filed 19 August 2026), the Los Angeles City Attorney (case 25STCV25304) and a private class in Virginia (case 1:25-cv-02511). All three are listed with sources above.
Is Stake.com named in the Stake.us lawsuits?
Its operator, Medium Rare N.V., is a defendant in the Florida and Los Angeles cases. The register entry for Stake records the same company as the Curacao licence holder.
Can I join a class action against Stake.us?
The Virginia class action was stayed on 30 July 2026 because clause 26 of the terms waives class actions for anyone who did not opt out within 30 days of opening an account.
Has Stake.us lost any of these cases?
No merits ruling was found in any of the three as of 28 September 2026. The only ruling located is the Virginia arbitration order.
Where can I get help with gambling?
Gambling Therapy runs free international support at gamblingtherapy.org. In California, the Los Angeles release lists 1-800-GAMBLER. More options are on the responsible gambling page.
Sources
- Florida Attorney General press release, 19 August 2026
- Florida v. Sweepsteaks Ltd. et al., complaint as filed, Hillsborough County
- Los Angeles City Attorney press release, LASC case 25STCV25304
- Ridley v. Sweepsteaks Ltd., E.D. Va. 1:25-cv-02511, complaint filed 31 December 2025
- Ridley v. Sweepsteaks Ltd., memorandum opinion, Dkt. 59, 30 July 2026
- Ridley v. Sweepsteaks Ltd., order, Dkt. 60, 30 July 2026
- CryptoGuardz register entry for Stake, retrieved 2 September 2026
About this piece
Compiled by the CryptoGuardz register team from the sources listed above. Research and drafting are AI-assisted and reviewed by a named editor before publication. Nothing here is a recommendation to gamble. If a figure or a reading is wrong, tell us and the correction is logged in public.