Massachusetts gaming regulators have moved FanDuel’s alleged proxy-betting case to a formal adjudicatory hearing after reviewing 22 wagers worth $21,800 placed through Bill Simmons’s account. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted Nov. 5 to consider potential enforcement action against the operator, rather than issuing a penalty at that meeting.
The wagers were placed by another person while Simmons was in California, using access to his Massachusetts FanDuel account. Simmons said on his Aug. 30 podcast that he supplied the person, identified as his daughter’s boyfriend, with account credentials and a verification code to make UCLA and Houston Texans futures bets.
FanDuel notified the commission the day after the podcast disclosure and voided the wagers. It said it took action against the account, though it did not specify what measures it applied. Meeting material described wagers on Aug. 5, Aug. 7 and Aug. 19, while an account of the commission investigation described the activity as occurring between Aug. 7 and Aug. 19.
Massachusetts regulations say a wagering account may be opened only in a patron’s name, cannot be transferred and may be used only by that patron. Patrons must acknowledge that they cannot let another person access or use the account. Operators are generally required to terminate accounts established or sought through a proxy, unless they determine the conduct was not intended to gain a competitive advantage.
Simmons later said he had not known the proxy-betting rule and had believed the practice was allowed. The commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau said it had conducted a preliminary review and would examine all aspects of the matter before making determinations guided by the facts. As of the Nov. 5 vote, possible action against Simmons, the other bettor and FanDuel had not been ruled out.
The hearing concerns allegations, not final findings. FanDuel has previously faced a separate Massachusetts enforcement case: the commission fined the operator $5,000 after an employee placed 12 prohibited NBA wagers totaling $240 between April 19 and April 21, 2024.
