Canadian rapper and global music icon Drake has suffered a significant cryptocurrency loss, wagering $1 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) on the losing team in the recent Super Bowl. The bet, placed on the New England Patriots to win the championship game held on February 8 at Levi's Stadium, backfired when the Seattle Seahawks secured a decisive 29-13 victory.
The odds for his bet were set at 2.95, meaning a Patriots win would have netted Drake a profit of nearly $2 million in Bitcoin. He publicly shared the wager on his personal Instagram account prior to the game, which is traditionally the single most heavily bet-on sporting event in the United States.
This high-profile loss is not an isolated incident but part of a well-documented pattern of unsuccessful crypto bets by the musician. In 2022, he lost over $600,000 in BTC on football matches, backing Arsenal against Leeds United and FC Barcelona against Real Madrid. His losing streak continued into 2024 with a $700,000 BTC bet on UFC fighter Sean Strickland, who lost to Dricus du Plessis, and a $300,000 BTC wager on Canada's national football team to defeat Lionel Messi's Argentina, which also failed.
This series of publicized losses has given rise to the popular internet meme known as the "Drake curse," which humorously suggests that any team or athlete publicly backed by the rapper is destined to lose. The incident highlights the growing intersection of celebrity culture, high-stakes sports betting, and the use of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin for large-scale, public wagers.
