Latest news with #Venmos
Fox Sports
13-08-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Oklahoma QB John Mateer Denies Gambling, Says Venmos Were 'Inside Jokes'
College Football Oklahoma QB John Mateer Denies Gambling, Says Venmos Were 'Inside Jokes' Published Aug. 12, 2025 7:53 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer says he has never gambled, and the school says there is no NCAA investigation after a recent report showed Mateer twice paid someone on Venmo in 2022 for "sports gambling." "The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false," Mateer said in a statement Tuesday on social media. "My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends." Mateer, who was at Washington State during the time in question, said he can understand why the Venmo descriptions could lead one to believe otherwise, so he decided to set the record straight. "I have never bet on sports," he said. "I understand the seriousness of the matter, but recognize that, taken out of context, those Venmo descriptions suggest otherwise. I can assure my teammates, coaches, and officials at the NCAA that I have not engaged in any sports gambling." ADVERTISEMENT In a statement, Oklahoma said it uses ProhiBet for comprehensive monitoring of sports gambling activities. "OU takes any allegations of gambling seriously and works closely with the NCAA in any situations of concern," the statement said. "OU Athletics is unaware of any NCAA investigation and has no reason to believe there is one pending." Mateer followed former Washington State offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma this past offseason. He passed for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions and ran for 826 yards and 15 scores last season. [Oklahoma ranked No. 10 in RJ Young's Ultimate 136] Mateer was one of three players who accompanied Oklahoma coach Brent Venables at SEC Media Days in July. Venables and Oklahoma's players have raved consistently about Mateer's leadership. He's considered one of the nation's top transfers and a key reason the Sooners open the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football Oklahoma Sooners share
Business Insider
17-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I was already struggling to plan my wedding on a tight $10,000 budget — and then I was laid off
I wasn't born into money. I live paycheck to paycheck on a $70,000 salary while paying off credit cards and college loans from 16 years ago. But still, I'm planning my dream wedding. I was incredibly surprised when my parents offered $5,000 for the wedding. My dad has an 8th-grade education, and my mom is an immigrant from Austria. They've worked hard to build themselves up and have done well for themselves, but they still pinch their pennies and avoid overspending. I've also never asked them for money. I've been working, in some capacity, since I was 14 and have always relied on myself to pay for everything. Thanks to my parents' $5,000, my fiancé and I have pushed our budget to $10,000, knowing we would foot some of the bill ourselves and might possibly get additional family gifts. Of course, that's a wedding on a budget, but I didn't know how much worse it would get. I've been a bride on a tight budget Along with my $70,000 salary, my partner is a freelance journalist, meaning his income is unpredictable. We also live in Chicago, where the average price of a wedding is around $56,000. The majority of wedding venues here cost $20,000 just to rent the space. Food or drinks aren't included. In a sea of wealthy brides from Lincoln Park, I'm a Southside bride just trying to fib my way into looking fancy. I designed and made our letterpress invitations ($560), we found a gorgeous wedding venue ($5,500), I scoured Reddit for tips on how to save on flowers ($700 box of real foliage from Costco), and we are having mezze for our rehearsal dinner ($1,000) on a patio at a flower shop ($700). I splurged on my wedding dress ($2,000), but we are buying our alcohol (TBD) and decided to make our wedding playlist using the app WeddingDJ ($5 a month). Despite our calculations, the budget increased to $20,000 because we quickly discovered that every little detail adds up. We were going to be cutting it close, but with my regular paycheck, my fiancé thought we could make it work. I was laid off, but I wasn't devastated When I learned the news that I was being laid off, I had just paid for our shuttle service ($788). I worked remotely and saw the Google Meet invitation pop-up for the next day. I had a day to pace around the house and prepare for my 8 a.m. layoff video meeting. As a journalist for the past 11 years, I've always imagined how I would react if I got laid off. Tears, for sure. Panic, absolutely. But instead, I felt none of those things. I simply laughed. It's my typical shoddy luck to be having a wedding at 35 years old and lose my income just a few months before the big date. What could I do? I could sulk. I could lie on the couch. I could freeze up and not do anything. Or I could contact every editor I knew, reach out to all of my contacts, and let them know my situation. So that's exactly what I did. As a result, the response has been overwhelming. Friends and former coworkers have been emailing me job listings, sending me a $5 Venmos for coffee, or simply telling me to "hang in there." My plan for the future and our wedding If I don't get a full-time job in the next few months — which, let's be real, in this job market I probably won't — I'll be jumping back into freelancing full time after a five-year hiatus. Is it glamorous? No. Is it what I thought I would be doing at this stage in my career? No. Am I still on severance and not fully realizing how much shit could hit the fan? Yes, so we can circle back on this later. But for now, I feel hopeful. I'm getting married. Nothing will stop that. There may be some aches and pains when reworking the budget. I might not get to buy as many candles as I wanted. I don't need a hairstylist; I can do it myself. No one needs to know my wedding shoes are $15 from Depop. I can let this news crush me, or I can pull up my bootstraps and carry on. I was already cutting costs on so many things, and to be honest, it makes planning a wedding more creative, and now that inspiration has intensified. Figuring out alternative fabrics for tablecloths, searching for vintage cakestands, making and printing our programs — all of it becomes more tangible and personal. And now, lucky for me, I have all the time in the world to plan the party of our lives.
Fox News
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Saints legend Mark Ingram preaches responsible gambling, respect for players ahead of Super Bowl LIX
NEW ORLEANS – The "Big Game" is only a day away, and while there will only be one winner between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, many others across the country are hoping they win something, too: their sports bets. The American Gaming Association (AGA) is estimating that Americans will bet $1.39 billion legally on Super Bowl LIX across those states that provide operating sportsbooks, which is a record. The continued expansion of legal sports betting markets – North Carolina and Vermont were added among legalized states, and Missouri just voted to approve it to bring the count to 40 states, as well as the District of Columbia – will be highlighted in Super Bowl LIX. The increased enthusiasm is why former NFL running back Mark Ingram, who was back in New Orleans, the place he called home with the Saints for 10 seasons, teamed up with the AGA to implore sports bettors to game responsibly this Super Bowl. "You gotta have a gameplan," he told Fox News Digital on Radio Row in New Orleans. "First and foremost, have a budget, and stick to it. Be responsible, bet legally and don't be harassing players – sending Venmos, sending CashApps when they don't hit your prop bets. Enjoy it, respect it. It's supposed to be entertainment." Athletes from all sports have talked about sports bettors sending them messages, containing vulgar verbiage and threats to pay them after their performances didn't work out in favor of their bet slip. But Ingram is sick of seeing it. "It's crazy, man," he said. "The players didn't set the over/under for themselves, Vegas did. So, be mad at Vegas. The players are out there trying to do everything they can to help their team win a game." Joe Maloney, Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications at the AGA, discussed the five pillars that all sports bettors, experienced or not, should follow heading into the Super Bowl and beyond. "First, bet legally," Maloney began. "It's important that you're doing it in a legal operator with a legal sportsbook. Two, keep it fun. This is a social activity, do it with others. Just keep it fun. Three, stick to a budget. Understand what amount you want to spend on this type of activity. It's no different than any other type of entertainment activity. Have a budget for it and stick to it. "The other piece, which is also very important: Know the odds. Understand the terminology, and understand the difference between a sure bet and a longshot bet. A longshot bet, if you hit it, you'll make more money. A sure bet, like Jalen Hurts scoring a touchdown in the game on Sunday, that's probably more of a sure bet. "Finally, keep your cool. Losing your bet is not an invitation to harass an athlete, harass an official, harass a coach. Just keep it to yourself if you win or lose." For moneyline bets, or simply choosing who will win the game, the Chiefs are slight favorites to beat the Eagles, but that could always move, depending on how much money comes in ahead of kickoff at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday night. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
