Bill Simmons said Tuesday that he was not aware of proxy betting rules when he got his daughter’s boyfriend to make wagers for him in Massachusetts while “The Ringer” founder was in legal sports betting-less California.
Bill Simmons shared an in-depth story with his audience about how he used his daughter's boyfriend to engage in "proxy betting" on FanDuel. https://t.co/LcVDaKWfHb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 1, 2026
The proxy betting comments made by Simmons during his Sunday show (first reported by InGame) were duly noted by FanDuel, a sponsor of Simmons’ podcast, which said it voided the wagers and reported the situation to Massachusetts sports betting regulators.
“We became aware of the issue and handled it consistent with our Terms and Conditions and Massachusetts Gaming Commission regulations, including reporting the matter to the MGC, voiding the bets, and actioning the account,” a FanDuel spokesperson told Covers on Tuesday.
FanDuel's terms and conditions do require a user to acknowledge they are opening an account “solely for your personal use,” and Massachusetts law requires operators to take steps to “prohibit persons from placing wagers as agents or proxies for others.”
A learning experience
Simmons discussed his previous comments at the top of his Tuesday podcast, saying that while he thought it was fine for his daughter’s boyfriend to log into his account and bet for him in Massachusetts, it was actually not allowed.
“All those bets went out the window,” Simmons said. “All that special time I had with Hank, out the window as well.”
“Lesson learned,” he added later.
In an interesting bit of timing, FanDuel began marketing itself on Tuesday as being available across the U.S., which is because it now offers sports-focused prediction markets.
The federal regulation of sports-related event contracts means they are accessible even in states such as California, which has not legalized sports betting. However, the legality of sports event contracts is being challenged in numerous states.
HERE. THERE. EVERYWHERE.
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) September 1, 2026
Get in on the sports action WHEREVER YOU ARE with FanDuel 💙 pic.twitter.com/S9GNxHMMmf
While Simmons and FanDuel have addressed the situation, it remains to be seen what the MGC will do.
The regulator is one of the more active ones when it comes to online sports betting in the U.S., and it may not find the situation as light as others. The MGC has even taken action in the past on things like the appropriateness of marketing a “can’t lose” parlay.
Proxy betting is also something lawmakers in other states have tried to take a harder line on.
The MGC is scheduled to hold an agenda-setting meeting on Wednesday.
