- Stephen A. Smith is done with “Solitaire Cash”
- The social gambling app is alleged to be rigged against real players
Stephen A. Smith has been hawking a controversial social gambling app to his six million X followers for weeks. The promotional partnership with “Solitaire Cash” is seemingly over.
On his podcast this week, Smith acknowledged the scandal surrounding his promotion of the mobile app from Papaya Gaming, a company alleged to have rigged its skill-based head-to-head games in its favor.
We’re aware of the recent legal developments involving Papaya and the broader skill/gaming space. My team is currently evaluating the accuracy and merits of the claims made. I want to be very clear. I do not support nor condone any company engaging in fraudulent or unfair gaming practices. Thus, my team and I will evaluate the situation and ensure that we are not in favor of any fraudulent or unfair gaming practices at all,” Smith said.
Smith’s last Solitaire Cash promotion on X came on Nov. 5 when he told his six million followers to “download Solitaire Cash and prove you’ve got what it takes to beat my score.”
Now, however, it appears that Smith is done with Solitaire Cash and the two sides have gone their separate ways. The Solitaire Cash Instagram page no longer includes Stephen A. Smith advertising, and the landing webpage for the 2026 World Solitaire Championship that Smith was to host in Miami is no longer available.
ESPN Told Personalities to Cut Ties
ESPN reportedly told most of its personalities who peddled Solitaire Cash” to take down the social media promotions. But the directive from the cable sports giant apparently didn’t apply to Smith.
As Casino.org reported earlier in the week, several ESPN personalities, including Mina Kimes, Kendrick Perkins, Dan Orlovsky, and Laura Rutledge, took heat for shilling the app on their X accounts. The hosts encouraged their more than one million followers to sign up and play the solitaire-based gaming app that allows users to win real money through head-to-head contests.
Perkins and Smith exchanged friendly banter about their recent Solitaire Cash game outcome. The four, in promoting the app, showed themselves playing Solitaire Cash and used the hashtag, “#BeatStephen.”
Ongoing Lawsuits
Solitaire Cash and its parent company, Papaya Gaming, have been accused of using computer bots to rig cash games against real-money players. While a player thinks they’re being paired against a player of a similar skill set, legal complaints have alleged that Papaya used skilled bots that regularly beat players to win money for the company.
Kimes later admitted she “didn’t spend any time looking into the whole thing, and that’s 100% on me.” She deleted her promotional post and said she’ll return any advertising money she receives, calling the situation a “colossal f***up.”
Orlovsky and Rutledge have also since deleted their X posts, though without explanation. Perkins’ post remains.
The post Stephen A. Smith Solitaire App Partnership Appears Finished Amid Controversy appeared first on Casino.org.
