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- Stephen A. Smith is promoting a mobile gaming app called Solitaire Cash
- Solitaire Cash has been accused of using computer bots to win money from players
- ESPNer Mina Kimes has apologized for promoting the skill game
Multiple ESPN personalities are taking heat for promoting a real-money mobile game that critics say is rigged.
Stephen A. Smith joined Papaya Gaming this month to promote its Solitaire Cash mobile game and its 2026 World Solitaire Championship in Miami. Smith, along with other ESPN personalities who agreed to sling the controversial skill gaming product that’s accused of being rigged, is facing backlash. (Image: Papaya Gaming)A week ago today, Stephen A. Smith was named a partner of Solitaire Cash and Papaya, an Israel-based company that claims to operate “skill-based” mobile games. Smith, the longtime star of “First Take,” was spotted last June playing solitaire on his cell phone during Game 4 of the NBA Finals last year between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
Papaya revealed last Monday that Smith is its “official ambassador” for the first-ever World Solitaire Championship, which will culminate in Miami in February 2026. People qualify by playing Solitaire Cash, a free-to-play mobile game that additionally facilitates real money head-to-head contests.
While Papaya’s release only named Smith as a partner, several other ESPN personalities, including Mina Kimes, Kendrick Perkins, and Dan Orlovsky, made social media posts hyping Solitaire Cash.
Kimes Apologizes
Papaya Gaming and its primary competitor, AviaGames, claim to facilitate head-to-head mobile skill games. In real money games, a player can take the other person’s loot by beating them in the contest. Avia’s games include Solitaire Clash.
Critics, however, have claimed that Papaya and Avia use bots instead of real human opponents of similar skillsets. Several class-action lawsuits against the companies contend that players are competing against computers where the odds of winning are heavily stacked against them, and the gaming operators pocket the players’ stake.
The ongoing controversy prompted Kimes to apologize to her more than 912K followers on X.
The truth is: I didn’t spend any time looking into the whole thing, and that’s 100% on me,” Kimes wrote. “Thought it was just typical marketing work, and I’m deeply embarrassed I didn’t vet it. A colossal f***-up on my part.”
Kimes’ post has been viewed over 6.3 million times. While Kimes deleted her social media posts showing her competing against Stephen A. in Solitaire Cash, Perkins did not.
“Congratulations. I know this just made your day @stephenasmith, huh? You better enjoy this moment because this going to be the first and last that I lose to you at @solitairecash. Shout out to all the other real winners out there… download, get playing and #BeatStephen. Show us your score!” Perkins posted.
Orlovsky also deleted his Solitaire Cash promo but has not issued an apology.
Scandal Ongoing
Casino.org has been reporting on the mobile skill gaming controversies for years. A pioneer of the industry, Skillz, a hosting platform for developers and players, has led the challenges against Papaya and AviaGames.
In 2024, Skillz was awarded almost $43 million after a federal jury ruled that AviaGames willfully breached Skillz’s patent to allow for its games to expedite peer-to-peer matching. Avia claimed it altered the platform to allow previous plays by real players, called “historical playthroughs,” where a live player competes against a real person, but one who played at an earlier time.
Ongoing class-action lawsuits allege that the manipulation deceived consumers. Allegations of bot use also remain against Papaya and Avia.
The post ESPN Personalities Take Heat for Hawking ‘Solitaire Cash,’ Mobile Game Allegedly Rigged appeared first on Casino.org.
