Published: 23:20 BST, 1 September 2026 | Updated: 01:11 BST, 2 September 2026
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is looking into comments made by podcaster and sports media titan Bill Simmons after the Bay State native seemingly admitted to placing proxy bets in the Commonwealth through his daughter's boyfriend.
'The Commission is aware of the comments made on the Bill Simmons Podcast and staff are currently reviewing the matter,' MGC spokesman Thomas Mills told The Daily Mail.
The bets were placed on FanDuel, which has since voided the wagers and sanctioned Simmons' account, as first reported by Front Office Sports.
A former ESPN The Magazine columnist and network star who later moved on to found the sports and culture website, The Ringer, Simmons may have gotten himself into trouble with Monday's episode of his FanDuel-sponsored podcast.
The 56-year-old currently lives in California, where sports gambling remains predominantly illegal. So, when he wanted to place a variety of wagers on FanDuel, he asked his daughter's 21-year-old boyfriend to log into his FanDuel account back in Massachusetts, where such wagering has been legalized.
But despite his effort to gamble legally, Simmons may have violated Massachusetts laws strictly prohibiting proxy bets.
Nobody actually cares that Bill Simmons had someone place his bets for him.But it’s a very stupid thing for him to admit on a podcast that is sponsored by FanDuel.Here’s the video: https://t.co/CTFiwv8MhA pic.twitter.com/AY2V1C8LZO
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is looking into comments made by podcaster and sports media titan Bill Simmons after he seemingly admitted to placing proxy bets
'There was a couple bets I really wanted to get in,' Simmons said on his eponymous podcast. 'I wanted… UCLA overs, but Houston, the market had not shifted appropriately yet.
'I can't have my daughter do it,' he continued. 'My dad would have no idea how to do it. But [my daughter's boyfriend] Hank, I really trust Hank.
'I let Hank log into my FanDuel as me. I get the code to make sure it's me to my phone. I give him the code, he logs in, and I have all this money that I had from last year because I actually hit a bunch of futures last year. And he's putting in bets for me, and honestly, it was the closest I've ever felt to Hank. It's a real bonding moment for us.'
'A week later, called him up, ran it back,' he added. 'We did some more.'
Simmons plan may have violated more than Massachusetts gaming laws.
FanDuel's terms and conditions prohibit anyone from wagering on someone else's behalf.
