Multi-award-winning superstar Drake is known for his record-breaking music albums, but in addition to his rapping prowess, he’s picked up a pretty dizzying gambling habit.
The Canadian rapper has gained even more fame by posting his outrageous bets to his 132 million Instagram followers.
From boxing to NFL, UFC to basketball, football to baseball and even Formula 1, Drake has covered a significant variety of sports with his wild Bitcoin stakes through crypto casino Stake – which he joined in December 2021 under the name DeepPockets6.
At times, Drake has brought in millions, but the rapper has also managed to pick up a reputation for putting a curse on those he supports. The “Drake Curse” has quickly become a phenomenon in sports, with countless teams and athletes losing an upcoming sporting event after coming into contact with him.
With that in mind, Sports mail looks at the good, the bad and the ugly of Drake’s gambling madness.
Canadian rapper Drake has picked up an insane gambling habit that has seen him lose millions at times
Drake recently lost £335,000 after supporting Jake Paul to beat Tommy Fury via knockout
DRAKE RUGENT PAUL TO RULE FURY
The 36-year-old rapper recently made headlines for his daring £335,000 ($400,000) bet on Jake Paul knocking out Tommy Fury last Sunday.
Unfortunately for Drake, Brit Fury defeated American Paul via split decision in Saudi Arabia, leaving the rapper’s pockets significantly less filled.
Drake had backed the former YouTuber to beat the Love Island star with a six-figure knockout at 3.6/1, in a huge bet that would see him win more than £1.2 million ($1.44 million). would have yielded if successful.
But the result means he’s now lost his sensational stake – with Paul jokingly blaming Drake’s ‘curse’ for losing the fight.
Drake lost £335,000 after betting on Jake Paul to knock out Tommy Fury during their fight in Saudi Arabia
WORLD CUP HEART BREAK FOR DRAKE
Many thought the Drake curse was broken when the rapper supported Argentina to win the World Cup final against France.
Drake put down £837,000 ($1 million) on Argentina to win and would have won more than £2.26 million ($2.75 million) had Lionel Messi’s side won in normal time.
Although Argentina eventually triumphed on penalties, Drake faced another significant loss due to a technical problem.
Drake must have thought he was ready for millions when Messi and Angel Di Maria put Argentina ahead 2-0 in the first half. But a late brace from Kylian Mbappe forced extra time and ended Drake’s hopes of a big win.
Drake supported Argentina to win the World Cup final but lost £837,000 as they failed to win in normal time
Drake lost his £837,000 ($1 million) to Argentina to beat France in normal time in the World Cup final
DRAKE’S LOVE BUSINESS WITH UFC
The 36-year-old has had her fair share of wild UFC bets — and it hasn’t always gone to plan.
Last March, Drake lost £230,000 ($275,000) after supporting Jorge Masvidal to defeat Colby Covington at UFC 272 in Las Vegas. The odds for Drake’s particular run were unclear, but Covington started an overall 2/7 favorite with Masvidal the 5/2 underdog.
Unfortunately for the rapper, underdog Masvidal suffered defeat by a unanimous decision — prompting Covington to urge Drake to go back to “selling those stupid albums to get the money back.”
Drake’s woes were compounded just two months later when he lost another £357,000 ($427,000) when he falsely supported Justin Gaethje to defeat Charles Oliveira at UFC 274.
Things went better for Drake later that year, most notably when he won a whopping £826,000 ($1 million) when Israel Adesanya defeated Jared Cannonier.
Drake lost a jaw-dropping £1.7 million ($2 million) after supporting Israel Adesanya to defeat Brazilian Alex Pereira at UFC 281
Drake shared footage of his seven-figure bet he placed on Adesanya on Saturday
And ten days later, the Canadian rapper won a sensational £3 million ($3.72 million) at UFC London after Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann both took stoppage wins.
Drake placed a £1.9 million ($2.3 million) bet on the Liverpool duo to win their respective fights in London and to mark their victories, he bought the two fighters a Rolex each.
The following month, however, Drake lost again after Kamaru Usman’s shock knockout defeat to Leon Edwards, while Jose Aldo was defeated by Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278.
The hip-hop artist bet a total of £169,000 ($200,000) on Nigerian Usman to beat Edwards, having also placed a bet of around £194,000 ($230,000) on Aldo to beat Dvalishvili.
He ended the year with another loss, losing a breathtaking £1.7 million (CA$2 million) after supporting Israel Adesanya to defeat Brazilian Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November.
This month he placed £415,000 on two separate bets for Jon Jones to beat Frenchman Girll Gane – one via stoppage and one via submission.
However, Drake ended up backing a winner, with Jones triumphing from his UFC Heavyweight Championship clash via submission, earning Drake an estimated $1,700,000 (£1.4 million) payout.
DABBLING WITH FOOTBALL
Drake is known for his love of American sports, but that hasn’t stopped him from throwing himself into British football.
Last October, before his World Cup loss, Drake bet £537,000 (CA$8333,333) on Arsenal and Barcelona to win.
As the Gunners came through with a 1-0 win over Leeds, Barcelona lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in a devastating El Clásico for the musician.
Drake bet £537,000 on Arsenal and Barcelona to win, but the Catalan giants lost to Real Madrid
Bukayo Saka scored the only goal as Arsenal beat Leeds 1-0, but Drake’s bet ultimately fell through
SUCCESSIVE SUPER BOWL SUCCESS
Drake has proven to be luckier when it comes to American football.
The Canadian rapper had Patrick Mahomes and Co to thank when the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII last month – or did they?
Drake actually only won one of his seven bets – which he’d coined as “psychotic” before the iconic event started – but he walked away with a massive £425,000 ($512,000) profit after winning £1.2 million ($1. 5 million) on a KC Chefs win.
Drake, who wagered a total of £801,000 ($965,000) on the bets celebrated on Instagram, posted a story of Mahomes and Travis Kelce celebrating, captioning, “Pay that man his MONEYYYYYYY Eddie @Stake.”
The KC Chiefs winning their second Super Bowl in four years earned Drake a small fortune
He bet on the Kansas City Chiefs to win the Super Bowl vs. the Eagles and on Patrick Mahomes to become KC’s first touchdown scorer in the matchup.
Exactly one year earlier, Drake also took home £250,000 ($300,000) winnings after betting £1 million ($1.25 million) for correctly predicting that the LA Rams would beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl LVI , while also featuring Odell Beckham Jr. score any touchdown.
Drake actually also lost £328,000 ($390,000) on a separate bet on Beckham Jr, while getting back £196,000 ($235,000) on Drake London to be the first Wide Receiver drafted.
His success continued as he cashed in a whopping £1.67 million ($2 million) from a £240,000 ($287,000) stake in November as the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs all played their Week Four- won matches.
DRAKE’S LOVE FOR SPORTS
Drake has also felt success in basketball, baseball and hockey, winning £610,000 ($730,600) in April thanks to the Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks.
Meanwhile, he earned about £96,000 ($115,000) from baseball as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox. His fortune continues as he turns £258,000 ($309,000) into £1.97 million ($2.35 million) thanks to the Dallas Mavericks, Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers.
Unfortunately, the rapper lost £376,000 ($450,350) after incorrectly predicting the New York Rangers to win the NHL Eastern Conference Finals and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Championship series. He is said to have won about £1.33 million.
Drake has even tried his luck in F1 by placing £230,000 ($275,000) on Ferarri’s Charles LeClerc to win the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix. However, LeClerc retired 27 laps and two-time champion Max Verstappen was victorious, losing to Drake by £627,000. (CA$750,000).
In a turbulent year for Drake’s bank account, the rapper has reportedly wagered more than £828.7 million ($1 billion) – while many continue to believe the curse continues.
Drake lost £230,000 after falsely supporting Charles LeClerc in winning the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix
