No musician loves high-stakes sports betting more than Drake. The Grammy award-winning rapper has a soft spot for the pastime and has often placed bets on several daring MMA matches. His recent venture was his $250k bet against Jake Paul. However, the match took an unexpected turn, stripping the musician of his money but leaving a story behind.
Here, we explore Drake’s love for sports betting by looking at all the threads in the fabric. According to an article on Casinojungle.ca, the best bonuses keep your gambling adventure entertaining and within budget. Keep reading as we uncover the implications of Drake’s high-stakes betting voyage, recent losses, and the rumored Drake’s curse. Let’s begin!
Drake And His Penchant for Sports Betting
The Canadian singer and songwriter Drake is one of the few celebrities who love the thrills and massive wins of high-stake betting. He is also very vocal about his interest; you always come across his bet slips on IG stories. His favorite sport to bet on is basketball. However, he often got his hands dirty with some MMA action.
Drake is like any punter; he wins some and loses some. Just February, Drake placed a $400k bet on the ex-Youtuber, Jake Paul, which he lost. August came in, and Drake tried his hand again. He bet against Jake Paul in Dallas, which he also lost. Nonetheless, let’s see how that went down!
Nate Diaz and Jake Paul Showdown
The showdown was fun and fast-paced. Jake Paul took charge early, landing quick jabs and hooks at the former UFC fighter, Nate Diaz. The ex-Youtuber was persistent and knocked down Nate Diaz in the fifth round. However, Nate Diaz’s experience proved resourceful as he bounced back unfazed.
But Jake Paul didn’t only overpower the UFC legend in the fifth round. The ex-Youtuber was in charge for all but one or two rounds. He surely bounced back better from his defeat by Tommy Fury, which he declared he wanted to fight again. Later rounds had Paul pushing hard. Many think it was because Diaz had underestimated his opponent. However, this display didn’t undermine Diaz’s effort. Jake Paul even said after the match,
“I did enough. I knocked Diaz down and won every round, but he’s a warrior. He kept coming, and no one has taken that much damage.”
While Nate Diaz showed impressive resilience, it was clear who dominated the rings. Nate Diaz came with the crowd, but Paul had the judges behind him. Undoubtedly, the committed throng of Diaz fans was disappointed when the judges declared Paul the winner by unanimous decision. The three judges scored the fight 97-92, 98-91, and 98-91.
After Jake Paul was declared winner, the arena was a mix of heightened excitement and muted murmurs. Many hadn’t anticipated the outcome in the slightest manner. Certainly not Drake, who had placed a bet against the ex-Youtuber and taken a financial blow for it. For many, however, it served as a stack reminder that there are no obvious winners in combat sports. Beyond physical prowess and experience, there is a place for will and wits.
The Implications of Drake’s Loss Betting Against Jake Paul
The loss on August 5 isn’t close to one of the highest stakes the musician has ever dealt. While the match loss remains a loss for the musician, we don’t see him backing out anytime soon. While the scales favored the ex-Youtuber victory, Drake said, “Jake is a dog, but I can never bet against a Diaz brother.” No doubt, this blatant loyalty cost him $250k.
Drake has a reputation for betting on the losing side for big stakes. The consistency has led to the rise of ‘Drake’s curse.’ Early on, the phenomenon was legendary; all you needed was a picture with a star to drive the odds out of your favor. Regarding his recent loss, the superstar has lost way more, including $684,000 in October 2022 and $2 million in Adesanya’s match in November last year. This loss is minimal compared to the losses Drake has scored over time. We hope to see the star back on the sports betting scene soon.
Drake Losses
Drake bets using Bitcoin stakes via the crypto casino, Stake Casino. He has always been on the sports scene. It is no surprise that he ventured into sports betting. However, the celebrity has grown a bleak reputation for backing the side that would lose. Pop culture has termed this “Drake’s curse.” One of his recent losses was an MMA fight in February.
Drake backed the ex-Youtuber Jake Paul to win against Tommy Fury. Drake staked $400,000, which he lost. The stake could have secured a big bag of $1.44m. The loss led the quick-rising Jake Paul to blame the superstar, Drake, for losing his match. He termed this phenomenon “Drake’s curse.”
Another instance of Drake’s betting stake going down the drain was the 2022 World Cup. While Drake put in Argentina to win, some technicalities stripped the talented superstar of his win. Drake put down $1m for Argentina to win in normal time. However, Mbappe’s brace sent the match to extra time, nulling the wager.
Away from football, Drake has scored more losses from the UFC side. In 2022, the musician lost over $500,000 to Jorge Masvidal and Justin Gaethje matches. The musician also picked more losses, including Israel Adesanya’s defeat in November last year, where he lost over $1.7 million on the bet. While the punter has not had much luck with MMA and soccer, Drake has been lucky with his American football wagers.
Breaking the Drake Curse
Nate Diaz’s loss on August 5 made the “Drake’s Curse” resurface. After the match, a media person made Diaz aware that a famous musician had backed him in the match and that his loss might be because of Drake’s curse. But the boxer had a different outlook:
“Shout out to Drake, love for the love, I appreciate it,” said Diaz. “And you know what I’m saying, what the f**k! Hey, someone break that curse. S**t, what’s happening? F**k the curse.”
The Drake curse is an experience where any sports club or athlete suffers a loss after associating with the superstar. However, this phenomenon is not baseless. It comes from several shreds of evidence that have come up in the musician’s journey through sports betting. The curse has struck many.
This phenomenon has affected sports stars like Serena Willams, Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, and football teams such as Manchester City and PSG. Stars almost always lose when Drake offers support or associates with them before their games. This has led many to wonder who would break the curse. Who knows? Drake’s next betting slip might hold the answer. Till then!
