Podcast host and head of talk at Spotify Bill Simmons acknowledged that he used his daughter’s boyfriend to place some proxy sports bets on Fanduel while he was in California, where online sports betting is not legal.
On his podcast Tuesday, Simmons addressed the issue, which came up in an unrelated conversation on his podcast over the weekend.
“I talked about how I got my daughter’s boyfriend to place some some bets for me in Massachusetts because I was in L.A. I did not know about the proxy rules,” Simmons said Tuesday. “Yeah, there’s some real rules with this stuff, and they’ve ruled that they not only are the bets going to be voided — and I learned my lesson, apparently proxy betting, not allowed. I actually thought it was, but that’s fine — and now my daughter has to break up with a boyfriend. That was the other thing. No, I’m kidding. They’re gonna stay together. But yeah, I did learn [that you’re] not allowed to do that. So all those bets went out the window.”
The issue blew up earlier this week after listeners flagged the comments by Simmons, pointing out that Fanduel is a major sponsor of his Ringer podcast network. The sports betting company tells The Hollywood Reporter that when it learned of the comments it took action.
“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 says.
Likewise, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is looking into the matter, given that the proxy bets were made in that state.
“The Commission is aware of the comments made on the Bill Simmons Podcast and staff are currently reviewing the matter,” says MGC spokesperson Thomas Mills.
It isn’t clear what could come of that investigation, but the comments by Simmons Tuesday evening suggest that he is apologetic and looking to move on.
Simmons is not only one of the most influential podcast hosts in America, but one of the most powerful podcast executives, thanks to his perch at Spotify.
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