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There's a good chance that you've already heard of online crypto casino operator Stake. The brand has rocketed to notoriety since its 2017 launch, thanks to its guerrilla marketing tactics. Unlike more conventional gambling firms, Stake has actively courted controversy in order to climb its way to the top.
On the face of it, this strategy has been smart and effective. The Curaçaoan business is believed to be the largest crypto-backed online casino in the world and generated $4.7 billion in revenue last year. This remarkable feat has been achieved despite the fact that crypto gambling sits in a legal grey zone in many of its jurisdictions.
Guerrilla marketing involves using unconventional strategies to achieve maximum exposure using minimal resources or budget. Unlike more traditional marketing methods, like TV commercials or print ads, guerrilla marketing often utilizes shock or surprise elements to capture people's attention. Stake has used virality to create buzz and generate word of mouth masterfully, but could this strategy harm its brand?
Stake, of course, does prominently use traditional marketing. Like many sports betting firms, it has made the most of prominent sponsorships to get its name out there. At the time of writing, the company holds a front-of-shirt deal with Premier League team Everton, a title partnership with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and the UFC.
Stake's platform also hosts popular online casino offerings, which it markets appropriately. Stake uses promo codes as an effective means of attracting new players to its platform. As Casino.org points out, Stake's promo codes are a very effective way to entice gamers to create new accounts with offers that help to stretch out their bankroll.
It is clear then that Stake has not outright rejected traditional market methods. Rather, it has used guerrilla-style marketing to further cement its reputation and keep its brand in the spotlight. During the pandemic, Stake began scaling through streamer and influencer partnerships and viral social content.
The company has since evolved those tactics to craft larger stunts, most famously with Drake. In a viral drone clip, the musician can be seen throwing a slider at a drone that is filming him in his high-rise penthouse. Before Drake manages to drive off the drone, it focuses for a moment on his laptop, on which can be clearly seen Stake's webpage.
At first glance, the viewer is led to believe that Drake is genuinely being harassed by a drone at his home. His attempt to throw a shoe is somewhat pathetic and perhaps a little relatable. It is simultaneously humanizing and relatable whilst also alluding to Drake's fame and the harassment at the hands of the paparazzi.
The clip tells us that if it's good enough for the self-styled "certified lover boy", it's good enough for you. However, it doesn't take a detective to spot the drone operator's reflection in the glass. Drake's acting is unlikely to win him any awards. The clip went viral online, as commenters ridiculed and called out Drake for the stunt.
The ruse was about as transparent as any of Stake's guerrilla stunts. This is partly why they work so well. The Drake clip lasts for less than ten seconds, fitting in neatly with the quick-scroll model of Instagram reels. It was widely liked, shared, and commented on. It did exactly what it set out to do with flair and is now an often-cited example in the guerrilla marketing playbook.
Drake has collaborated more directly with Stake, streaming gambling sessions for the brand on Kick. Stake founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani own the streaming platform and reportedly signed a multi-million dollar deal with Drake to endorse it. Following a public spat, Drake appears to have cut ties with Kick.
Drake's dispute with Kick casts doubts over the rapper's future relationship with Stake. If it is true that Drake will no longer associate himself with Craven and Tehrani's ventures, Stake could lose a significant portion of the public's trust. However, with a firm that is renowned for doing whatever it takes to make a headline, one can never be sure what is true.
The break-up has raised questions around a gambling firm that is already under regulatory scrutiny. It is hard to argue that this isn't a PR nightmare for Stake and Kick. However, the gambling platform is not solely reliant on Drizzy when it comes to generating clicks online.
Many readers will have organically stumbled across Stake's next tactic. Blurring the line between entertainment and marketing, Stake has taken to watermarking viral clips. These clips usually have no relation to gambling and don't feel like conventional ads. By embedding its logo on ephemeral content, it imprints its brand on the collective subconscious.
Stake's guerrilla marketing strategy has proved to be highly effective, but it carries significant risks. Advertising by stealth raises both ethical and regulatory questions. For instance, its watermarking of viral clips and memes may breach standard ad disclosure rules. In the UK, it has already fallen foul of the regulator in this way.
In December 2024, a clip was posted on X of adult content creator Bonnie Blue outside Nottingham Trent University. In the video, watermarked with Stake's logo, the OnlyFans content creator promised to "sleep with 180 barely-legal 18-year-olds". The clip caused a furore and campaigners urged the culture secretary to take action against the ad.
Following an investigation, the UK's Gambling Commission stated that Stake would be leaving the GB market. The gambling firm cut ties with TGP Europe Limited, through which it was licensed via a white-label arrangement. Stake ceased its operations in the UK in March 2025.
The blunder inevitably caused bad press for Stake and caused it to lose a valuable market. Nevertheless, holding onto operating licenses does not appear to be a key target for the online casino operator. As one of the few operators that has tackled the US to become a household name, Stake's gambit is paying off.
Advertising campaigns are almost always ephemeral, designed to stick in the mind until the next campaign comes out. Stake has taken this idea and turbocharged it for the doom-scrolling generation.
It is perhaps inevitable that its guerrilla marketing will sometimes backfire, as has already been proven true. But by managing legal and ethical issues carefully, Stake can continue with its firebrand marketing unscathed for the most part.
