Drake Breaks His "Curse," Wins $1.1 Million After Betting On Joshua Van

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares Published on September 20, 2026

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Drake Breaks Curse Wins 1 Million Bet Joshua Van

Nov 17, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Recording artist Drake wears headphones to conduct an in-game media interview while watching the Toronto Raptors host the Boston Celtics at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

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"The Drake curse" is the notion that whoever he supports in sports ends up losing, but Joshua Van's victory suggests it's just a myth.

Drake had himself a big week with the release of his "FOMO" short film and a massive payout on Stake. As caught by DJ Akademiks on Instagram, he had taken to the platform to bet $650K on Joshua Van beating Alexandre Pantoja in their match at UFC 331 last night (Saturday, September 19). "I don't know bro... But he better win," Drizzy had captioned his IG Story post that shared the bet.

Thanks to Van's unanimous decision victory over Pantoja, "the Drake curse" was broken... For now. For those unaware, the curse refers to the speculative and viral notion that whoever he supports or bets on in sports ends up losing. There have been plenty of other past instances disproving this myth. But also plenty of examples backing the conspiracy theory up.

The most recent examples of this occurred during the FIFA World Cup this year, such as an unsuccessful $1.5 million bet on Argentina to win the final.

But this is not so much a "curse" as it is just part of the risk when you engage in sports betting. The 6ix God does it for the love of the game, and he has deeper pockets than most to take big chances.

Drake's UFC Bet

Elsewhere, Drake may have more disses to respond to on his future material, or it's just another instance of AI slop taking over the timeline. The Pusha T and Pharrell album allegedly leaked online, and it included some shots at the OVO mogul. But many fans who believe this met resistance from many folks who think these are fake tracks created by AI. The debate continues to rage on, but nothing has emerged at press time to fully debunk or prove anything.

Speaking of Drake's new material, he sadly privatized his YouTube upload of his new song "Quebec." It's unclear why, but fans hope it points to a more official and formal release coming soon.

"Quebec" was one of various new songs he premiered during the "FOMO" film. Now, fans are placing bets, mostly figurative ones, on whether or not we will get these tracks anytime soon.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.