Popular Podcaster in Hot Water Over Proxy Betting
David Genge Published 09/09/2026
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is looking into the matter after popular podcaster Bill Simmons said he''d made illegal proxy bets. Founder of The Ringer, Simmons said during one of his recent podcasts that he'd gotten his daughter's boyfriend to place proxy bets for him in Massachusetts while he was in California. Simmons gave his login credentials to his daughter's boyfriend and got him to place the bets.
Proxy betting - the act of getting someone else to place bets for you on your account - is a violation of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) regulations. It's also banned by most online betting sites.
Simmons details his proxy betting during a podcast
Simmons went into great detail explaining his proxy betting during an episode of his popular podcast.
“There was a couple of bets I really wanted to get in," Simmons explained on the podcast, according to reporting by Boston.com. "I wanted—there was UCLA overs, but Houston, the market had not shifted appropriately yet."
His problem was how to place those bets while he was away from home.
"I can’t have my daughter do it," Simmons said. "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.”
Here's the problem - you can't do that
Not only is it against the rules to place proxy bets in Massachusetts, but it also violates player conduct terms and conditions at FanDuel.
The MGC acknowledges that they are looking into this incident, but aren't certain whether any punishment will be forthcoming.
“We are aware of that activity," MGC Chair Jordan Maynard told Boston.com. "It is sitting with the proper staff members in this building.
“I am very careful — as chair of the commission, I have the power to hold hearings, and so I don’t ever want to prejudge a matter that hasn’t come before me.
“I’m not trying to be cagey. It’s here at the commission. We’re aware of it, and we’ll take whatever actions we have to take.”
A FanDuel spokesperson told Boston.com that the proxy bets made by Simmons would be voided. They also indicated that they were actioning the account. Citing privacy concerns, FanDuel declined to explain the specifics of what that means.
Simmons pleads ignorance on proxy betting
Once the cat was out of the bag, Simmons again found himself addressing the incident on a later podcast. He pleaded ignorance in defense of his actions.
"Did not know about the proxy rules,” Simmons said. “Yeah, 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, apparently proxy betting [is] not allowed. I actually thought it was, but that’s fine.
"So, all those bets went out the window, all that special time I had with Hank out the window, as well. The good news is I’m going to be in Boston and maybe at some point I’ll make some more wagers down the road.
"There you go. Lesson learned.”
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