The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has initiated a review into comments made by sports media personality Bill Simmons, who appeared to admit on his podcast to using his daughter's boyfriend to place proxy bets in Massachusetts. The bets were placed on the FanDuel platform, which has since voided the wagers and taken action against Simmons' account, according to reports.
Simmons, a Massachusetts native, currently resides in California, where sports gambling is largely illegal. He stated on his podcast that he enlisted the boyfriend of his daughter, identified as Hank, to log into his FanDuel account in Massachusetts to place bets. Simmons explained that he receives verification codes on his phone for the wagers.
"There was a couple bets I really wanted to get in," Simmons said on his podcast. "I wanted… UCLA overs, but Houston, the market had not shifted appropriately yet."
He continued, "I can't have my daughter do it. 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."
Simmons indicated that this was not a one-time occurrence, adding, "A week later, called him up, ran it back. We did some more."
Beyond potentially violating Massachusetts gaming laws, Simmons' described method may also contravene FanDuel's terms and conditions, which reportedly prohibit individuals from betting on behalf of others. The MGC spokesman Thomas Mills confirmed the commission's awareness of the podcast comments and stated that staff are reviewing the matter.