Drake has seemingly bet big on the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup Finals.
A recent post on his Instagram account outlines a $500,000 US bet in favour of the Canadian team hoping to bring the Cup north of the border for the first time in 30-plus years.
“Oilers are self explanatory,” reads the post from last Thursday on Drake’s @champagnepapi account, which notes the bet was made with Stake — a site with which he has a paid relationship, reportedly worth millions, as a brand ambassador.
The Stanley Cup bet story has already garnered lots of media attention in Canada, though it’s not clear how beneficial it is for Stake, given that it’s not really much of a player on this side of the border at this time.
That’s because Stake, which describes itself as a licensed international operator, is not legally authorized to offer sports betting in the province of Alberta. And it’s not a legal option in more than half a dozen other provinces, with regulators and officials in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Atlantic Canada confirming they have sole sites authorized for online sports betting, which aren’t the one that Drake used. Stake is not operating in Ontario, the only province with a broad legal market for online gambling.
It’s unclear how Drake places his bets, but Stake says “an important part of our engagement with Drake is ensuring that relevant legislation regarding betting and streaming activities is complied with.”
Emailed questions about Drake’s Oilers bet and relationship with Stake that were sent to Brent Smith, a booking agent who represents Drake at Wasserman, did not yield a written response.
‘Global audience’ for hockey
“I’ve never heard of Stake before [this],” said Andrew Kim, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, who studies sports gambling.
He pointed out that with Drake’s millions of followers on Instagram, there will be undoubtedly more people on this side of the border, like himself, absorbing the Drake-and-Stake story.
“Not all of them are Canadians, but a lot of them will be Canadians and they will see that,” said Kim.
When asked if the Drake-involved bet is intended to draw attention of Canadian consumers, Stake told CBC News that the appeal of hockey goes beyond Canada’s borders.
“While events like the Stanley Cup are…
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