TL;DR

Drake lost a substantial Bitcoin bet after Canada was defeated by Argentina in the Copa America semi-final. His history of significant betting losses has led to the phrase the Drake curse, suggesting teams or athletes he supports tend to perform poorly.

Betting Against Lionel Messi

The Canadian musician and actor Aubrey Drake Graham (better known as Drake) often wagers substantial sums on popular sports events. Earlier this week, he bet $300,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC) on his home country to beat Argentina in the Copa America semi-final. 

Canadas football team was the massive underdog, with odds of 9.60 to win the match. This would have brought Drake a profit of over $2.5 million in the primary cryptocurrency.

Somewhat expectedly, though, Argentina (the reigning world champion) emerged victorious after a 2-0 victory. The second goal was scored by captain Lionel Messi, who was challenged by the rapper. 

Drakes Previous Losses

This is not the first time the musician parts with a significant sum after betting on similar events. Last month, he wagered $500K in BTC on the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA final against the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately for him, the club from the state of Massachusetts secured its 18th league-record title after winning with a final score of 106-88.

Earlier in 2024, Drake bet $700,000 worth of BTC on a UFC fight, predicting that Sean Strickland would beat Dricus du Plessis (the bet carried an estimated profit of over $650,000 in BTC). The fighter, though, lost after a split decision from the judges. 

Two years ago, he placed a $234,000 BTC bet on Ferraris driver, Charles Leclerc, to finish first in the Spanish Grand Prix, only to see Max Verstappen win the race. He also wagered $600,000 in cryptocurrency on FC Barcelona to win the derby against Real Madrid. The team from Catalonia, though, lost the match known as El Classico.

His multiple losses on the betting field have prompted the creation of the phrase the Drake curse. It refers to a superstition that whoever team or athlete he publicly supports tends to perform poorly.