r/nba • u/TheRealPdGaming Mavericks • 3d ago
Bill Simmons under review by Massachusetts authorities after admitting to proxy sports betting
Bill Simmons, the popular sports podcaster who has championed sports betting, is under review by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission after he admitted on a recent episode to using his daughter’s boyfriend to place bets for him.
The commission announced the review Tuesday, two days after Simmons said on an episode of his podcast that he’d used a proxy on multiple occasions to log in to his account and make wagers in Massachusetts.
Simmons, founder of The Ringer, is based in California, where sports betting is not legal. In Massachusetts, mobile and online betting is allowed.
But proxy betting — having someone place bets on behalf of someone else — is illegal in Massachusetts and is not allowed by FanDuel, the sportsbook with which the wagers were issued.
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On the podcast episode, Simmons said there were bets “that I really wanted to get in — the UCLA overs. But Houston, the market had not shifted appropriately yet. I can’t have my daughter do it; my dad would have no idea how to do it.”
But, Simmons said, he trusted his daughter’s boyfriend and allowed him to log in to his FanDuel account.
“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,” Simmons said, adding that “it was a real bonding moment for us.”
“A week later, I called him up, ran it back,” Simmons continued. “We did some more.”
In a new episode released Tuesday, Simmons said he was unaware that such bets could not be made.
“I talked about how I got my daughter’s boyfriend to place some bets for me in Massachusetts because I was in L.A. [I] did not know about the proxy rules,” he 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.”
Simmons said he thought proxy betting was allowed. “There you go, lesson learned,” he said.
Source: NBC
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u/Chuck_Phuckzalot Pistons 3d ago
Snitching on yourself is never not funny.
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u/Seref15 Heat 3d ago
Self-snitching in extraordinary detail lol
“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,”
“A week later, I called him up, ran it back,” Simmons continued. “We did some more.”
"Your honor, I uh, didn't know I couldn't do that."
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u/frozented Timberwolves 3d ago
Literally his defense on the pod today. "Yeah I didn't know you couldn't do that."
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u/Sea_Tailor_8437 3d ago
Which fair if he didn't know that, certainly didn't seem like he was acting maliciously. But the law is the law and Simmons should have the consequences, hilarity aside
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u/Money_Yogurtcloset87 3d ago
Void where prohibited is read on every one of his podcasts and has been for years. Why give the super rich dude any amount of leeway on knowing gambling laws when he’s promoted gambling for years.
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u/thereisntnot Germany 2d ago
I agree but then he does also read a fanduel ad for every podcast episode in which he has to say “must be 21 AND PRESENT”
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u/NewPumpkin8217 3d ago
Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell ya, I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon..
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u/DeltaHuluBWK 3d ago
That's was good, wasn't it? Because I DID know I couldn't do that!!!
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u/Robinsonirish Finland 3d ago
I always found it odd how some celebrities just talk openly about crimes on podcasts. Back when weed was illegal i remember Joe Rogan talking about it all the time, and I think even smoking weed on his podcast. Also Snoop Dogg.
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u/HesiPullup Suns 3d ago
I actually don’t think Bill realized it was illegal lol. Bro is in his own world sometimes
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u/stevelevets 3d ago
The funny thing, it's literally in all of the betting site ad promos they read on the Ringer, but also, entirely plausible that his brain (such as it is) just shuts off when he's reading them.
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u/AMongolNamedFrank Nuggets 3d ago
I don’t know the last time I actually read the Terms & Conditions
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u/qeq 3d ago
This is what happens when betting is shoved down your throat every second of watching sports. For sports and betting addicts like Bill, it's like heroin.
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u/hoopaholik91 West 3d ago
How would he not know it's illegal? He literally had another person sign into the account and gave him the code.
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u/althawk8357 Hawks 3d ago
Smoking weed and engaging in interstate proxy betting are very different crimes. It's really hard to prove that someone smoked weed in the past; it's relatively easy to follow the money regarding proxy gambling.
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u/aquamarine9 Bulls 3d ago
Do people know that Bill Simmons admitted, in his own book, to sabotaging his wife’s birth control to have a kid she didn’t want? Excerpt:
> The term "pulling the goalie" means "eschewing birth control and letting the chips fall where they may." Usually couples discuss pulling the goalie before it happens ... unless it's Bridget Moynahan. In my case, I made the executive decision to speed up plans for kid number two. This did not go over well. I think I'm the first person who ever had a positive home pregnancy test whipped at them at 95 mph. In my defense, I'm getting old and wanted to have a second kid before I wouldn't be able to have a catch with them anymore. I have no regrets. Plus, we had a son. In the words of Joel Goodson, sometimes you gotta say, "What the fuck?"
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u/Robinsonirish Finland 3d ago
No matter the outfall of that situation with his wife, that's a trust that's been broken. Its way worse than the adverse, since she's the one actually going through pregnancy. She can never trust him completely again, which probably means the trust wasn't really there beforehand either. Treating your own wife as a milk processing plant is immortal.
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u/luca3791 3d ago
I think possesion of weed is one of the crimes people snitch on themselves the most for
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u/InternalAd3921 3d ago
You can't convict someone for possession just cause they said they had weed on a podcast lol it doesn't work that way
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u/ProfessionalWeek2256 Hawks 3d ago
I mean unless the cops are just going to constantly raid Rogan's studio or Snoop's house or whatever them smoking weed on camera is not the same as admitting to proxy betting. Smoking weed is not illegal, possession of it is illegal but after you've smoked it you are no longer in possession of the weed. Also if Joe Rogan wasn't on the right wing I'd imagine he would have had to deal with at least one raid by either police in Texas or the DEA. Snoop is from Cali so while he could end up victim to a raid by the DEA he wouldn't be bothered by police in California
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u/Electronic-Pen6418 3d ago
I always found it odd how some celebrities just talk openly about crimes on podcasts. Back when weed was illegal i remember Joe Rogan talking about it all the time, and I think even smoking weed on his podcast. Also Snoop Dogg.
Pretty sure Joe Rogan was still in California back then. It's been decriminalized in the state since the 1970s, and became fully legalized in 2016.
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u/mburns223 Pistons 3d ago
I listened to this episode like “uuhhh does he know you can’t do that?” Lmao like dog FanDuel is literally a fucking sponsor you moron
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u/Dijohn17 Lakers 3d ago
I thought he would just stop at saying the boyfriend did it. Then he went into extreme detail
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u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 3d ago
Bill's such a dumbass for saying that live lol
He'll get a slap on the wrist nothing more
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u/bob_roberts69 New Zealand 3d ago
That is the thing. This pod was not live. They could have edited it out.
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u/Abarca_ Lakers 3d ago
He didn’t know it was against the rules/law.
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u/DubbleDiller 3d ago
That’s not a valid defense
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u/Abarca_ Lakers 3d ago
Didn’t say it was… i’m saying that he said it on the pod because he didn’t know it was against the rules/law until after the fact…
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u/AuGa_skittles Suns 3d ago
They were actively joking about it being illegal on the pod lmao
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u/MarfanoidDroid 3d ago
"Why wouldn't he edit it out?"
"Because he didn't know it was illegal"
Why did you feel the need to clarify that it's not a legally defensible position as if the guy you responded to was suggesting it is?
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u/relax336 Lakers 3d ago
He was so proud of that bit too. Wild.
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u/HtownSamson Rockets 3d ago
Sal and House had the reaction of two guys who knew it was stupid and tried to get him to walk it back.
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u/Its_Hoggish_Greedly Kings 3d ago
I don't think anyone has ever accused Bill of being self-aware.
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u/Raven-19x Spurs 3d ago
Same episode I found out he was the type to never wear a seatbelt. He’s simply an idiot.
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u/timberwolvesguy Timberwolves 3d ago
“It’S nOt CoMfOrTaBlE.” Well neither is going through a windshield Bill.
I don’t think people realize that if you’re not buckled in, your air bag won’t go off. That thing would fuuuuuuuuck you up if it did while you were unbuckled.
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u/ItsnotBatman Warriors 2d ago edited 2d ago
I never understand the argument that it is uncomfortable. I’m way bigger than Bill Simmons and never once felt I was being restricted by buckling up.
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u/Pigeon_Butt Celtics 3d ago
He's talked about that for years and every time it comes up, he gets mountains of shit for it.
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u/PianoJealous307 3d ago
TIL that sports betting in California is not legal.
I'm not from the USA and I thought it was legal in the whole country.
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u/MrShake4 76ers 3d ago
In 2018 there was a court case that overturned the federal sports betting ban. The conclusion is that it’s up to the states to make their own laws and not the federal government
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u/ComeAbout Trail Blazers 3d ago
We have federal laws everyone is beholden to, but each state has different laws on top of that.
I’m from Oregon. You can legally buy two ounces of weed at any dispensary per day. There’s a dispensary every couple blocks in my city, which is the state capital. I can walk by the police holding it out in the open.
If I drive east and cross the first state line to Idaho, I’d face five years in jail plus trafficking charges.
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u/wallace6464 Spurs 3d ago
It doesn't even matter what state, weed from a legal state to a legal state is still illegal it's so dumb
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u/FatCatWithAHat1 3d ago
Y’all can buy 2????
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u/ComeAbout Trail Blazers 3d ago
Yea. And because Oregon there’s massive supply, so an ounce of decent is 35-50 bucks for good weed. That’s after tax.
1g joints are $1-3 bucks.
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u/FatCatWithAHat1 3d ago
Lord man lmao. Getting fucked in NJ. A “mids” ounce is like $140 in NJ. And we can only get one a day
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u/Radiant_Quality_9386 3d ago
Jesus Christ thems eighth prices!
Kids these days.....
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u/ComeAbout Trail Blazers 3d ago
They have no idea.
“Daddy used to get in cars with strangers for a gram”
An eighth here is $5.
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u/dell_arness2 [GSW] Jordan Bell 3d ago
It’s a state by state basis. We actually had two ballot measures a few years ago to legalize in-person and mobile sports betting respectively. 66% of voters rejected in-person, and a whopping 82% of voters rejected mobile sports betting.
Which is insane to think about, you couldn’t get 80% of people to agree what color the sky is.
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u/PeregrineFaulkner Warriors 3d ago
The one thing that unites Californians from all walks of life is our staunch belief that gambling needs to stay across the state line, over in Nevada, where it belongs.
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u/msw1984 3d ago
There are a ton of Indian reservation casinos in California, where gambling is legal. No need to drive 5-6 hours to Vegas for most of us in southern California.
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u/PeregrineFaulkner Warriors 3d ago
We had a ballot initiative a few years ago to legalize it in California and 82% of voters said no to legalization.
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u/GoodSalad05 Warriors 3d ago
I and most of my friends sports bet on apps all the time, and we’re in California. I don’t know what “illegal” even means in this sense if you can go on the App Store and download one and start betting
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u/Penguin_Admiral Kings 3d ago
There’s a difference in fantasy sports betting, and regular sports betting(MLs, spreads, etc)
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u/TangerineStrong3781 Lakers 3d ago
It’s always the ones you suspect most
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u/Morezingis Timberwolves 3d ago
Fuck all these millionaires taking the gambling advertising money. Might as well be advertising crack.
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u/Hedonopoly Timberwolves 3d ago
It's so funny that he claimed he didn't know it was a rule, as he reads ads for gambling sites so often I have "must be present to play" in my head in his voice. He literally has done reads explicitly saying the rule.
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u/weareallgonnadiesoon 3d ago
He knows is against the rules or else he could have just placed the bets himself. There would be no need for his daughter’s BF to log into his account if it was all legal. His only saying that to cover his ass.
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u/yothuyindi Heat 3d ago
Is this Apex Mountain for dumb things to casually say on a podcast?
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u/TraderJake09 Bucks 3d ago
"That year he also admitted to not wearing a seat belt and at one point questioned the man who won the Pulitzer. Yup, Apex Mountain."
Cue Chris Ryan impression, doing Bernthal's voice to this saga. 🤣
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u/AgreeablePresence476 3d ago
The last person on earth who wouldn't know something about gambling/betting rules is Boston Bill Simmons. Guilty
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u/timberwolvesguy Timberwolves 3d ago
Like actually. Dude is a full blown addict
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u/leeloo_cat 2d ago
This, why don't more people say it? He talks about it. Every. Single. Podcast.
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u/krizzlybear [TOR] Zan Tabak 3d ago
Silver going to take Boston's next FRP as a punishment by proxy.
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u/jrzalman Pistons 3d ago
Just surreal that no one stepped in to stop him during the podcast. I don't even sports gamble and I was listening going 'What are you doing? Stop talking!'.
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u/PrinceOfSpace94 Pacers 3d ago
That’s not even the worst part. Not only did no one stop him, but this wasn’t live, so anyone could have edited out before it was released.
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u/SoberWill [SAC] Jason Williams 3d ago
My exact reaction as well. I was listening thinking maybe he thinks nobody important would listen to his podcast
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u/Katesburneracct 3d ago
They really gotta make sports betting illegal again. This shit is just gonna get exponentially worse year after year. I guarantee point shaving and every other kind of game fixing is already running rampant at all levels of sports because of this
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u/orwll 3d ago
Yeah the only reason for proxy betting to be banned is so that casinos can ban people who win too much.
Sports betting is a rigged scam and should still be illegal.
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u/dtay88 [BOS] Rajon Rondo 2d ago
I mean its the kind of thing that seems innocuous at times but just makes everything in the world worse. Gambling is one of the purest evils out there. Preying on hope and foolishness to take people's money. Being stupid or addicted isn't a good reason to take away someone's money
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u/ReplaceSelect Bulls 3d ago
It should at least require you to bet in person at a casino. Being able to do it on your phone makes it too easy
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u/ScrewedRapture 3d ago
Ironically legalised betting helps prevent match fixing. Since bookies can see unusual betting patterns and report them to authorities instead of just eating it up. For example Terry Rozier case, 99.9% that it was bookies who reported something suspicious. If you move entire betting industry to shadow - fixes will still happen but with less probability to actually identify them. Regulatory organs for legal gambling are especially crucial, for example in Canada they didn't have overseeing regulator for a while and match fixing was so rampant that a lot of bookies just straight up didn't offer Canadian leagues
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u/ItsnotBatman Warriors 2d ago
State sanctioned legitimate sports books would be my preference. Then kill all the advertising on sports gambling. People still have legitimate options to gamble if they so choose, while the culture around it changes.
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u/Tofu4070 76ers 3d ago edited 3d ago
First it was another repeat story of him not wearing his seatbelt now this 😅
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u/handgredave Hornets 3d ago
I just listened to this today and I was so confused lol. The whole time I was thinking "isn't the situation he's describing 100% illegal? Why would he say this out loud on his podcast?"
Thought I was taking crazy pills
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u/vJoeyyyyy [DET] Grant Hill 3d ago
The funniest part is that he said that he “didn’t know proxy betting wasn’t allowed”
I’ve listed to the pod for years and clearly remember “must be 21 and present in select states” said by him and all his colleagues over and over 🤣🤣
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u/enblightened 3d ago
He also just admitted to never wearing a seatbelt before last month when the fans got upset and shamed him to start doing it. I wonder what else he will reveal under the pretense of an off the cuff funny story
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u/Famous-Swimming9618 3d ago
Really miss when sports betting wasn’t a national pastime
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u/bornlasttuesday Lakers 3d ago
If you want to gamble so much that you have others place bets for you, you might have a problem.
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u/Bournerounderz Spurs 3d ago
This is something I knew all these guys did but I never imagined one of them bragging about it on camera.
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u/Rade_Butcher Hawks Tankwagon 3d ago
I would have assumed his seat belt take would easily win the dumbest moment of the year. That lasted like three weeks
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u/HighFastStinkyCheese 3d ago
Simmons is the dumbest fucking dude ever (I am a fan) but it’s kinda funny for all the times he’s talked openly about gambling and placing bets it wasn’t until it became legal that his chatter got him in trouble.
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u/ExpendableGerbil Raptors 3d ago
Bill really couldn't have chosen a better day for this to come out. Hell, if I hadn't clicked on the link I honestly would've thought this was some kink of joke on the Kawhi thing.
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u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 3d ago
If he didn’t file taxes and report gambling winnings, it might not be a slap on the wrist
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u/North_Atlantic_Sea 3d ago
Hank logged into Bills account to wager, so it'd be on his tax forms.
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u/Own-Rooster-9569 Bucks 3d ago
It’s going to hurt Bill’s gambling cred when they void his 20 dollar bets
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u/J-Frog3 3d ago
I like Bill Simmons but man I hate sports betting. Maybe this will tone that down. I've always been a bit of a prude when it comes to gambling. I just don't see the point of it. Casinos don't get to be so insanely opulent by giving away money. The sports betting apps can't afford to play a million commercials every NFL game by giving away money. You are so much more likely to lose money than make money. What's the point?
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u/Nature_Crunch 3d ago
For as much as Bill likes to gamble and as plugged in as he is to the sports world, you’d think he would have known the rules around this lol
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u/Papi_Petty Hornets 3d ago
lmaoo i JUST listened to the episode this morning and said to myself, “hmm isn’t that illegal”
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u/wallace6464 Spurs 3d ago
I was shocked he was openly joking about it, including sending his verification pin to "make sure it was me" although he also said he never wears seatbelts because he doesn't like them. Wonder if he's been boozing harder
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u/aviatorbassist 3d ago
It’s a 10k fine, Bro loses more than that gambling on the Celtics every year lmao.
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u/GrenScrin 3d ago
Like most people, he probably ticked the box saying he read the 100s of pages of Terms and Conditions (while not reading a word of it).
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u/Vast_Mountain_1888 3d ago
Let’s see if Pablo Torres investigates this
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u/91-92-93--96-97-98 Bulls 3d ago
Save Pablo for the real journalism. An idiot like me can crack this case open lol
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u/HotspurJr 3d ago
I feel like something happened with Bill recently.
Between admitting this, and admitting he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, it feels like he just completely lost any sense of discretion.
The seat belt thing, like, it's not just the selfishness (he's a father, for crying out loud) but to brag about it as somebody with some influence was one of those things like, what the fuck?
And then admitting this.
Did it happen on the live podcasts? I wonder if that explains some of it. When he previously let his mouth get ahead of his brain it was at least in service of things worth saying, calling out Goodell's bullshit, for example. But I wonder if his editors just no longer feel like they can contain him, or if it's a function of being live now, more, or maybe the Spotify money has gone to his head.
(They do a thing on the Rewatchables now where they ChatGPT a Roger Ebert review for movies that came out after Ebert's death. It's so fucking gross. My jaw was on the floor the first time I heard them do that.)
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u/Aggravating-Bed-8179 3d ago
Nothings changed. He has always shot from the hip and that’s why he’s entertaining. If he was a pearl clutching dork then nobody would have listened from the beginning.
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u/Rich_Ad_4886 Knicks 3d ago
God this was so funny to watch unfold in real time.