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Canadian rap superstar Drake has placed two humongous wagers on the NBA and NHL finals winners, betting $500,000 each on the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the start of their respective series against the Florida Panthers and the Boston Celtics.
If both bets succeed, Drake stands to win $2.4 million, more than double the amount he placed on the Stanley Cup and Larry O’Brien trophy contenders.
Drake shared his high-stakes wagers on Instagram, explaining the reasons behind each bet. He is betting on the Mavericks “cause I’m a Texan” and said his bet on Edmonton is “self-explanatory,” with the rapper being from Canada.
The Toronto-born rapper placed his bets on Stake, an Australian cryptocurrency gambling platform that has a partnership with the celebrity. The Oilers bet could yield a payout of $1.025 million, while the Mavericks bet could bring in $1.375 million.
Before Game 1 of the NBA Finals took place on Thursday, June 6, FanDuel had the Mavericks as a +184 underdog against the Celtics (bet $100 to win $188). The Mavs lost Game 1 to Boston, 107-89 at TD Garden.
The Oilers are entering the Stanley Cup Final also as +106 underdogs against the Florida Panthers in FanDuel. Game 1 of the finals is scheduled for Saturday, June 8.
Drake’s Betting History Bodes Well (or Not) for Oilers & Mavericks
Drake’s betting adventures have a history of both significant wins and losses with no middle ground.
Drake broke the self-named “Drake Curse” in early 2024 by winning over $1 million from a bet on the Super Bowl. The rapper placed a $1.15 million bet on the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers, resulting in a $2.346 million payout when the Chiefs secured a 25-22 victory.
Before that, Drake had seen other substantial returns on his bets on the Chiefs, like when he wagered $700,000 on the Chiefs in 2023, resulting in a payout of just over $1.4 million.
However, his gambling streak is not without its losses. In January 2024, he lost $700,000 on Sean Strickland’s fight against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Du Plessis won via split decision.
In another significant gamble, Drake placed $675,000 on Alex Pereira to defeat Jamahal Hill in the UFC 300 main event, which he won. Conversely, he lost $615,000 on a bet that Francis Ngannou would defeat Anthony Joshua and recently lost $565,000 on Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk.
The Feared ‘Drake Curse’
The “Drake Curse” is a well-known superstition in the sports world.
On simple terms, the curse boils down to teams and athletes who associate with Drake often suffering unexpected losses.
FanDuel put together a comprehensive report of Drake’s betting results, but the curse is known to have affected the likes of Conor McGregor (lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229) and Arsenal FC (lost to lesser Premier League team Everton) among many others.
The Toronto Raptors, for whom Drake is the unofficial global ambassador, experienced multiple playoff disappointments before eventually winning the NBA championship.
The curse, obviously, is more of a tongue-in-cheek superstition rather than a serious belief, but it has become a running joke in the sports community and it never fails to generate a few funny comments and discussions on the internet.
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