The crypto gambling website Stake.com has been hit with a lawsuit worth £350million after a former business partner of the company’s owners claims he was bullied out of the business.
The lawsuit, filed by Christopher Freeman in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Freeman had been the brains behind Primedice, a precursor to Stake.com.
Founded by Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven in 2017, Stake.com offers cryptocurrency based online gambling and sports betting and has become one of the fastest-growing websites of its kind.
Court documents obtained by The Guardian, allege that Freeman was given a 20% stake in Primedice, with Tehrani and Craven each owning half of the remaining 80% of the company.
Freeman claims that throughout their time with Primedice, Tehrani and Craven used a mix of bullying and unlawful tactics to force him out of the company, a accusation that is denied by the Stake.com founders.
The plaintiff further claims that it was his idea to eventually expand Primedice into the online cryptocurrency casino that Stake.com ultimately became, while his former business partners were instead intent on creating a more traditional online gambling platform using fiat currency.
Crypto gambling website Stake.com has been hit with a £350million lawsuit by Christopher Freeman
Freeman alleges that he was bullied out of the creation of the website that sponsors Everton and Watford
A Stake.com spokesperson vehemently denied the allegations against the site’s co-founders, stating that they are: ‘internally inconsistent, intentionally misleading, and provably false’.
Stake.com currently serves as the main shirt sponsor of both Everton and Watford football clubs and has a partnership with the UFC.
The site has also recently received significant publicity recently thanks to its partnership with hip-hop superstar Drake, who has used the platform to place a number of high-stakes bets, including a £1.7million wager on British UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann.
Drake has shared several bets that he has made through the site on his Instagram account