Dave Portnoy quits gambling again after crushing Bills loss
Notorious gambler and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is calling it quits on gambling — again.
We’ll see how long that lasts.
For at least the third time, Portnoy frustratingly quit and posted on X that he is hanging up his betting account and going gambling-free.
“I quit gambling. F–k Buffalo,” Portnoy
He claimed to have a “monster bet” on the Bills, and was furious with the referees as well as Buffalo’s sporadic play late in the game as it blew multiple leads.
“Ref show in Philly. Goodell took the Eagles. #nflrigged,” Portnoy posted after the Eagles were not whistled with what appeared to be a blatant horse collar tackle on Josh Allen.
Portnoy also claimed that Jake Elliott’s ridiculous 59-yard game-tying field goal at the end of regulation was a result of his huge bet.
“Unreal kick,” Portnoy said. “If you tackle the guy instead of knock it down Bills win. Only reason that went in is cause I got a monster bet on the Bills. This game is over. Sorry Buffalo.”
He did not share how much he lost, but Bills backers must be furious after losing despite being up by double digits for most of the game.
It’s not the first AFC contender that has drawn Portnoy’s ire recently.
The Barstool founder was fuming and threatened a class action lawsuit against the NFL after a $120,000 betting loss on the Bengals with some concerns over pre-existing knowledge of a Joe Burrow injury.
He has made a slew of terrible wagers of late, including a $10,000 bet on Sam Hartman to win the Heisman (now off the board).
Portnoy previously described himself as a “degenerate gambler my whole life” in May 2020.
The New York Times reported tthat Portnoy once needed to file for bankruptcy in 2004, losing $30,000 gambling, drowning in $59,000 in credit card debt, and owing his father, who is a lawyer, $18,000.
Penn National’s CEO Jay Snowden called the article factually incorrect at the time.
Although Portnoy’s father, Michael, acknowledged that “anyone who says my son is exaggerating his gambling issues, I wish he was. He isn’t.”
Portnoy vowed to quit gambling on Dec. 5, 2019, which obviously didn’t stick very long.
Casino and sports betting operator Penn National Gaming purchased a 36 percent stake in Barstool Sports just three months later in Feb. 2020.
PENN gave Barstool Sports back to Portnoy for $1 while coming to an agreement with ESPN to rebrand the product ESPN BET.
