Drake makes millions by losing his sports bets: Financial inside story of a calculated risk

By betting $1.5 million on Argentina to beat Spain in the 2026 World Cup final via the Stakeplatform, Drake was hoping to pocket the modest sum of $5.2 million.

While this latest setback adds to the now-famous “Drake curse,” the singer of “God’s Plan” still comes out a big winner financially, as HuffPost points out.

This loss adds to a long string of failed sports bets by the artist since 2016: the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, the 300,000 euros lost betting on Jannik Sinner against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 U.S. Open, the $1 million that went up in smoke at the Super Bowl, and his bet on the 2022 World Cup final. These failures have helped fuel the legend of the Canadian singer’s “curse.”

Yet this so-called bad luck actually serves as a tremendous financial asset

As an ambassador for Stake (an online betting giant) since 2022, the rapper earns nearly $100 million a year for sharing his predictions on his various social media accounts, which have a massive following, according to the Financial Times.

This business strategy, however, has drawn sharp criticism. The artist is the subject of several complaints and class-action lawsuits for “misleading, fraudulent, and unfair” practices, reports Rolling Stone. His critics accuse him, in particular, of failing to disclose that he does not bet with his own money, even though the promotion of sports betting remains heavily regulated in countries like France due to the risks of debt and addiction.