Globally-renowned for chart-topping singles and record-breaking albums, Drake stands as one of the world's best-known celebrities and music artists of the 21st century. Away from the studio, the Canadian rapper has a penchant for sports betting - predominantly placing wagers on basketball, baseball, MMA, soccer and the NFL.
But behind his million-dollar punts, there is a glaring issue: many believe that his wagers are 'cursed'.
Most recently, his misfortune entered the limelight at Super Bowl LX – when the Hotline Bling artist lost $1m for incorrectly predicting that the New England Patriots would come up trumps against the Seattle Seahawks.
Now with his profit/loss ratio steeply in the red, a longstanding phenomenon has re-entered the online vernacular - the 'Drake curse'.
Did the 'Drake curse' influence the result in Super Bowl LX?
On February 7 – one day before Super Bowl LX - Drake posted on Instagram showing a screenshot of his $1m wager backing the New England Patriots to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the 'Big Game'.
Captioned: "Bet against me if you dare", the post garnered significant attention from those who have previously witnessed the rapper's infamous gambling shortcomings.
One comment with over 18,500 likes read: "Congrats to the Seahawks".
Another commenter said: "I feel better about my Seahawks bet now", racking up more than 2,500 upvotes."
On the other side of the coin, actor and Patriots fan Mark Wahlberg backed Drake – branding him a "SMART MAN" for getting behind Mike Vrabel's side.
If the wager had landed, Drake would have won $2.9m.
Instead, the Seahawks trounced the Patriots 29-13 in a game that saw Pats' star quarterback Drake Maye throw numerous errant passes.
Drake's latest major sports betting loss had been cemented. And, whether real or not, the 'Drake curse' lives on.
What is the 'Drake curse'?
In short: Drake is known for backing the losing team or athlete - even when that contender is the market's favorite before the event.
Drake's betting drama has been tracked by a website called thedrakecurse.com since February 2022, when he wagered $1.3m in Bitcoin, via Stake, on last year's Super Bowl.
The dawn of that now-notorious platform followed years of lighthearted conversation surrounding Drake's wagering mishaps.
Tracking soon established a trend between August and December 2022, as Drake was down over $3.8m, in a losing streak, across seven bets.
His first loss was in April 2022 at a NCAA tournament: the final four where he made a loss of $55,724. Following this, the artist went on a losing streak - being at a total loss of $1.4m in just one month (from April to May).
Notably, his losses were not contained to just one sport, as Drake's flopped wagers covered: MLB, UFC, NFL, NHL, tennis, cricket, basketball, Formula 1, boxing and soccer.
He might be in the red, but he's still in the green
Luckily for him, just as discourse about a negative betting pattern had begun to run rampant, he earned respite. From May 2022, Drake was in profit until he lost $786,072 on this year's Super Bowl - meaning he was actually in profit for nearly four years (despite losses).
However, just because he's in the green, doesn't mean certain bets didn't flop - because they did. Some of his significant losses include betting (and losing) $1.6m on favorite Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022.
Other big losses include losing $1m backing his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Florida Panthers in last year's NHL playoffs.
And most recently - prior to the Super Bowl - Drake wagered $200,000 on Youtuber Jake Paul to beat Anthony Joshua in their boxing match, back in December 2025. Joshua ended up knocking out Paul in the sixth round.
Soccer betting struggles
A keenness to bet on soccer prevented consistent upturns; attracted by the 2022 World Cup, Drake's bankroll fell $3.8m - and sat perilously close to diving into the red for the first time since spring of the same year.
Yet, another upswing to $4.5m in summer 2023 pointed to a changing of tides. No longer betting on soccer had reaped rewards, and Drake would not dip below $3m in profit again before July 2024.
Thus it was only appropriate that a return to soccer betting - on the 2024 Copa America semi-final - initiated a domino-style impact on Drake's balance. Come November 2024, he tumbled to $1.6m profit.
In September 2025, the new NFL season served as a critical juncture for Drake's sports betting trajectory. Just $413,000 clear of breaking even, his worst wagering performance for two years, the Ontario native stumped a further $200,000 over three months.
As such, Super Bowl LX provided an opportunity to recapture successes of yesteryear. For Drake, a $1m bet on the New England Patriots at +195 (listed at 2.95 on Stake.com) seemed appropriate.
A win would have supercharged his bankroll - returning to heights he had not reached since summer 2024.
However, just weeks after Drake was sued for affiliating with Stake, he endured the largest rupture to his sports betting wallet to date on that very platform.
Drake is now down $786,000 overall - and some argue that his current losses can be attributed to this supposed 'curse'.
So, how real is the 'curse'?
Data accumulated by The Drake Curse platform demonstrates measurable evidence for and against the 'Drake curse'.
First, Drake has lost 11 times while backing the event favorite - with UFC wagers accounting for five of those results.
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is a notable victim of the 'curse', losing all three bouts in which the rapper has backed him to win, including a $1.5m hit in November 2022.
Soccer represents a major point of frustration; even when Drake correctly predicted that Argentina would win the 2022 World Cup Final, his wager incorrectly stated that they would do so during normal time (90 minutes). The match was settled through a penalty shootout.
And if we evaluate his recent betting history, it becomes clear that Drake is experiencing a sharp downswing. By February 2026, his previous 10 wagers culminated in losses of more than $3.4m.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
Of 11 bets worth $1m or more, Drake has been successful seven times. Similarly, the five-time Grammy Award-winner has accumulated over $1m through single wagers on five occasions. Holistic data indicates that Drake boasts a positive ROI for UFC (7.7%), basketball (21.2%) and the NFL (9.6%).
Betting on unfamiliar sports has proven costly – he is down 100% on six total wagers spanning soccer and Formula 1.
So, is the 'Drake curse' real?
The answer is two-fold. Whilst it is true that Drake often incorrectly backs sportsbook favorites and currently sits in a substantial shortfall, his track record proves an ability to stay in the black.
As fun as they are, suggestions that he is somehow cursed are easily dispelled by long-term statistics.
The more pertinent question is this: can Drake recover from this latest bankroll setback, or will he slip into a further decline?
As of February 2025 he is down $786,000 - all time from his public sports bets, add on his Super Bowl loss and that means the rapper is officially down nearly $1.8m overall - since he begun sports betting.
