Massachusetts Gaming Commission Reviews Simmons's Proxy Betting Admission

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is reviewing Bill Simmons's admission that he had his daughter's boyfriend place proxy bets on his FanDuel account, raising questions about enforcement of account-access rules in legal sportsbooks and the consequences of proxy wagering.

On Monday's episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons admitted during a conversation about AFC over-under win total bets with 'Cousin' Sal Iacono that he allowed his daughter's boyfriend Hank to log into his FanDuel account in Massachusetts using a two-factor authentication code. "There was a couple bets I really wanted to get in," Simmons said, per Front Office Sports. "I can't have my daughter do it. My dad would have no idea how to do it. But 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 said he ran the proxy betting activity "a week later" and did it "some more" with his daughter's boyfriend, according to Front Office Sports.

Proxy betting, having somebody else place wagers on an account holder's behalf, is explicitly barred by both Massachusetts law and FanDuel. Massachusetts state law requires sportsbooks to "prevent persons from placing wagers as agents or proxies for others," per Front Office Sports. Massachusetts gaming regulations classify anyone who bets on someone else's behalf as a "prohibited person," a designation that requires operators to block them from wagering and cancel and confiscate the funds from any bet placed under such circumstances, according to Front Office Sports. FanDuel's terms and conditions state: "Your account is solely for your personal use. Customers are prohibited from wagering on behalf of a third party and/or allowing other individuals to access their account. This is considered proxy betting and if detected by FanDuel, may result in a permanent suspension and forfeiture of winnings."

MGC spokesman Thomas Mills stated: "The Commission is aware of the comments made on the Bill Simmons Podcast and staff are currently reviewing the matter," per Front Office Sports.

FanDuel told Front Office Sports it had voided the bets and sanctioned the account after becoming aware of Simmons's comments. FanDuel stated: "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."

On Tuesday evening, Simmons addressed the issue on his podcast, claiming ignorance of the rules. "Did not know about the proxy rules. Yeah, there's some real rules with this stuff, and I learned my lesson," he said, per Front Office Sports. "Proxy betting: not allowed. I actually thought it was, but that's fine, but I did learn. Not allowed to do that."

Simmons lives in California, where sports betting is not legal, according to Front Office Sports. The Ringer, Simmons's media company, is FanDuel's exclusive betting partner.