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{"actor":"system:backfill","investigation_id":"6bb6684e-a7d6-4546-b7c8-fb66cbd38585","kind":"publish","page_slug":"stake-com","published_at":"2026-05-30T19:10:40.988Z","sequence_num":1,"snapshot":{"content_type":"investigation","entity_name":"Stake.com","sections":[{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stake_(online_casino)","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://stake.com/licenses","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.businessofigaming.com/stake-crypto-casino-growth-revenue-regulation/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-identifies-lazarus-group-cyber-actors-as-responsible-for-theft-of-41-million-from-stakecom","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.halborn.com/blog/post/explained-the-stake-com-hack-september-2023","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://hacken.io/discover/stake-com-hack-sep-2023/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/crypto-casino-stakecom-loses-41-million-to-hot-wallet-hackers/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.dlnews.com/articles/defi/stake-co-founder-says-hacker-did-not-compromise-private-keys/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-identifies-lazarus-group-cyber-actors-as-responsible-for-theft-of-41-million-from-stakecom","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/fbi-confirms-that-north-korea-was-behind-41-million-stake-com-exploit","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://decrypt.co/155360/fbi-says-north-koreas-lazarus-group-was-behind-41-million-stake-hack","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.securityweek.com/fbi-blames-north-korean-hackers-for-41-million-stake-com-heist/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news/article/consumer-information-notice-stake-leaving-gb-market","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/regulation/stake-uk-gambling-commission/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.affiversemedia.com/stake-to-exit-uk-market-following-gambling-commission-investigation/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cityattorney.lacity.gov/updates/la-city-attorney-hydee-feldstein-soto-files-lawsuit-against-online-gambling-enterprise","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.susmangodfrey.com/news/susman-godfrey-and-the-los-angeles-city-attorney-file-landmark-lawsuit-against-stake-us-on-behalf-of-the-people-of-the-state-of-california/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://quicktakes.loeb.com/post/102m1c5/class-action-targets-stakeus-drake-and-adin-ross-for-illegal-gambling-promotion","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://journals.law.harvard.edu/jsel/2026/04/high-stakes-litigation-the-sweeping-implications-of-the-class-action-suit-against-stake-and-drake/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.kctv5.com/2025/10/28/deliberate-deception-lawsuit-targets-stake-drake-alleged-illegal-gambling-scheme/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/justice-department-seeks-forfeiture-over-5-million-bitcoin-stolen-sim-swapping-scams","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.casino.org/news/stake-com-cited-as-doj-seeks-5-million-bitcoin-seizure-in-sim-swap-case/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://reporter.london/490/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://fincrimecentral.com/stake-multi-billion-gambling-empire/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://igamingexpert.com/news/affiliates/stake-drake-accusations/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://blockworks.com/news/drake-endorsed-crypto-gambling-firm-stake-lawsuit","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/980636-drake-exposed-winning-unrealistic-games-stake","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.vibe105to.com/drake-cuts-ties-with-stake-after-withdrawal-dispute/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://kotaku.com/twitch-kick-stake-gambling-trainwreck-crypto-1849863856","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_(service)","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://www.streamscheme.com/who-owns-kick-streaming/","type":"other","url":""}]},{"content":"","heading":"","severity":"medium","sources":[{"credibility":3,"name":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Craven","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bijan_Tehrani_(entrepreneur)","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://casinobeats.com/features/ed-craven-net-worth/","type":"other","url":""},{"credibility":3,"name":"https://cityattorney.lacity.gov/updates/la-city-attorney-hydee-feldstein-soto-files-lawsuit-against-online-gambling-enterprise","type":"other","url":""}]}],"sources_used":[],"summary":"Stake.com is the world's largest crypto gambling platform by revenue, founded in 2017 by Australian entrepreneurs Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani and operating under a Curacao gaming license. In September 2023, the platform suffered a $41 million hot wallet breach that the FBI formally attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group (APT38). The platform faces mounting legal and regulatory pressure across multiple jurisdictions, including a landmark California civil suit filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney in 2025, multiple class action lawsuits, and a UK exit following a Gambling Commission investigation.","timeline":[{"date":"2017-08-01","event":"Stake.com launched by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani through Easygo, operating under a Curacao gaming license.","source":""},{"date":"2022-10-01","event":"Twitch bans Stake.com from advertising on its platform, citing lack of consumer protections for unlicensed gambling.","source":""},{"date":"2023-01-01","event":"Kick streaming platform launched by Stake co-founders Craven and Tehrani as a direct Twitch competitor, within two months of the Twitch ban.","source":""},{"date":"2023-04-01","event":"UK Gambling Commission fines TGP Europe (Stake's UK operator) £316,250 for AML and social responsibility failures.","source":""},{"date":"2023-09-04","event":"$41 million drained from Stake.com hot wallets across Ethereum, BSC, and Polygon in a targeted security breach.","source":""},{"date":"2023-09-06","event":"FBI issues formal statement attributing the Stake.com hack to North Korea's Lazarus Group (APT38), publishing attacker wallet addresses.","source":""},{"date":"2024-01-01","event":"DOJ civil forfeiture complaint names Stake.com as a platform through which SIM-swap-derived stolen Bitcoin was laundered via circular transactions.","source":""},{"date":"2025-02-13","event":"Stake announces exit from UK market amid Gambling Commission investigation into social media advertising; operations cease March 11, 2025.","source":""},{"date":"2025-08-28","event":"Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto files civil complaint against Stake.us, Easygo, Kick, Ed Craven, Bijan Tehrani, and game suppliers for alleged illegal gambling in California.","source":""},{"date":"2025-10-27","event":"Class action lawsuit filed in Missouri naming Stake.us, Drake, and Adin Ross for alleged deceptive gambling promotion.","source":""},{"date":"2025-12-01","event":"Class action complaint filed in Virginia federal court against Stake.us, Drake, and Adin Ross alleging illegal online gambling under federal and state law.","source":""},{"date":"2026-04-01","event":"Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law publishes analysis of the Stake class action litigation, describing its sweeping implications for US social casino operators.","source":""}]},"v":1}