Bill Simmons Faces State Review for Getting Daughter’s Boyfriend To Make Bets on His Behalf

(Photo Credit: The Ringer/Spotify)

Bill Simmons may have just got himself and his daughter’s boyfriend into a jam.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday said it is probing a claim “The Sports Guy” made on his latest podcast, where Simmons said he had his 21-year-old daughter’s boyfriend Hank make a bunch of football bets on his behalf.

Simmons quipped on his Sunday show — which was the second episode of his big NFL gambling preview — it was a good bonding moment between him and the young gambler. But two days later, Front Office Sports reported the MGC was looking into whether Simmons violated the state’s proxy betting rules.

“The Commission is aware of the comments made on the Bill Simmons Podcast and staff are currently reviewing the matter,” an MGC spokesman told FOS.

Simmons — who became a media star at ESPN before launching his own sports-and-pop culture outlet The Ringer in 2016 — explained on his podcast he gave Hank his FanDuel password so he could get some wagers in; FanDuel is legal in Massachusetts, where Simmons grew up and where his daughter now goes to college, but not in California, where he’s lived for the last two decades. The company is also one of the top sponsors of The Bill Simmons Podcast.

“There was a couple bets I really wanted to get in. I wanted—there was UCLA overs, but Houston, the market had not shifted appropriately yet,” Simmons said. “I can’t have my daughter do it. My dad would have no idea how to do it. But Hank, I really trust Hank.”

Simmons went on, “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.”

Their little scheme went so well that Simmons said he called Hank a week later and made a few more bets.

The Ringer and FanDuel did not respond to FOS’s request for comment.

Still, it’s not like Simmons or his daughter’s boyfriend will be thrown in the clink for their not-so-secret arrangement.

The MGC rules said it will cancel any wagers and confiscate any funds if Hank is found to be a “prohibited person”; he would also be blocked from making any bets in the future.

FOS also pointed out FanDuel’s rules prohibit “third party” wagers or customers giving other people their account info. “This is considered proxy betting and if detected by FanDuel, may result in a permanent suspension and forfeiture of winnings,” the company said.

And before the MGC said it was investigating the matter, a few listeners called out the BS-Hank Connection for sounding fishy.

“Gotta love Bill giving his daughter’s boyfriend his Fanduel password so he can make some bets for him in Massachusetts. Bonding!” one user commented on Spotify. “This also has to be against some sort of rule even though I’m sure they’ll look the other way.”

Another listener posted: “Having your daughter’s 21 year old boyfriend place NFL futures for you is true degenerate sh*t.”

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