Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, is under review by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after admitting to using his daughter’s boyfriend to place sports bets on his behalf. The commission began the review Tuesday, following Simmons’s disclosure on his podcast that he had used a proxy to place wagers in Massachusetts on multiple occasions.
Simmons, based in California where sports betting is not legal, admitted to having his daughter’s boyfriend log in to his FanDuel account to place bets, including wagers on UCLA over/under games. He stated he provided the boyfriend with a code to access his account, explaining, “I get the code to make sure it’s me to my phone, I give him the code, he logs in.” Simmons added that he had “a bunch of futures” from the previous year that he wanted to use. He described the arrangement as “a real bonding moment.”
FanDuel, The Ringer’s exclusive sports betting partner, reported the matter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and voided Simmons’s bets. A spokesman for the MGC stated the commission is reviewing the matter.
Simmons initially claimed he was unaware that proxy betting was prohibited, stating on a recent podcast episode, “I did not know about the proxy rules.” He later acknowledged, “There are some real rules with this stuff, and they’ve ruled that not only are the bets going to be voided — and I learned my lesson.” Simmons said he had thought proxy betting was allowed.
Simmons is a former ESPN columnist and commentator and hosts “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” which ranked No. 22 overall and No. 2 in the sports category on Spotify as of Tuesday. Spotify acquired The Ringer in 2020 for over $200 million, according to reports.
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