High stakes: As Offset’s gambling debts become public, he’s not the only rapper to face similar issues

The Migos rapper has become meme fodder in recent days, but from Drake to Lil Baby, rappers with high wage losses have become synonymous with America’s growing gambling fix.

When news broke on Monday that Offset, one-third of the Migos, had been shot outside of a casino in Florida, the immediate reaction was skepticism followed by prayers. His presence at a Florida casino seemed normal, typical for any adult visitor of the state wanting to have a good time and try to win a quick buck or two at the craps table.

However, as more details emerged, the story about the shooting quickly turned from peculiar to jokes and internet ridicule about a growing phenomenon in America: gambling addiction.

Almost immediately, the stories weren’t about Offset’s recovery or even his feud with fellow rapper Lil Tjay and a presumed $10,000 debt owed to him. Instead, it morphed into recollections from individuals across the spectrum, from former NFL star Dez Bryant accusing the rapper of owing him $8,000 and suggesting the rapper’s crew threatened him over it, to a report that Offset owed a Detroit casino over $100,000 and was sued over it days before he was shot in Florida.

According to TMZ, the MotorCity Casino Hotel filed a lawsuit against the former Migos rapper, claiming he opened a six-figure credit line with the casino back in March of 2024 to fuel a night of gambling fun. Both Offset and the casino agreed that it could withdraw funds from his account to settle the debt, but there wasn’t enough to cover the losses, which led to the lawsuit.

“We are working toward a resolution,” a rep for Offset told TMZ.

Offset’s recent streak of bad news echoes that of fellow Atlanta rapper Lil Baby, who sought an intervention after losing around $8 million to $9 million in a single day, just by gambling.

“Like one day, probably like 40 hours straight, I lost like $8 million, $9 million. I made myself stop gambling,” he told Lil Yachty in a 2024 interview. “I had (Fanatics CEO) Mike Rubin write a letter to every casino and ban me from the casino. I just do s–t. I don’t gamble no more.”

As Lil Baby quit cold turkey, there are other rappers like Drake who have routinely thrown down major bets on sporting events, even prompting him to sign a reported $100 million endorsement deal with the online casino company Stake in 2022. However, that deal has come under scrutiny to the point that Drake and streamer Adin Ross were named in a federal lawsuit in Virginia, which alleges the company operates as an illegal casino that violates state and federal law.

Although the US arm of Stake does not allow players to gamble with real money, Drake and Ross are accused of deliberately misleading consumers into believing that the platform was legal and harmless.

The proliferation of gambling has become a siren for lawmakers in several states, even as ads for “daily fantasy” sites such as DraftKings. Underdog and Prize Picks become omnipresent, and prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi become more and more visible with every passing day. In Ohio, Republican lawmakers have introduced bills that would ban mobile betting for casinos such as FanDuel and DraftKings and require all bets to be made in person at one of the state’s legalized casinos. The bill would also ban parlays and prop betting.

“Americans are projected to lose $1 trillion in personal wealth to gambling by 2030,” State Rep. Jonathan Newman said. “[In] the state of Ohio, $1 billion of personal wealth was lost last year.”

In Offset’s case, his losses have turned into memes and jokes, with some fans arguing that his gambling debts are the reason for the delays in his divorce from estranged wife Cardi B. In reality, his issues aren’t too far off from those of everyday people, including his peers in hip-hop.