ESPN star Mina Kimes 'deeply embarrassed' after promoting solitaire app

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ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes spoke out publicly about the shame she felt for promoting a solitaire app that her colleague Stephen A. Smith recently partnered with.

Smith became the face of Solitaire Cash after he was caught playing the card game on his phone during the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Kendrick Perkins were also seen giving the app some time on their X accounts.

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Mina Kimes during the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge at Nicholson Fieldhouse on Jan. 30, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Papaya Gaming, the parent company of Solitaire Cash, was the target of a lawsuit over false advertising with the alleged use of in-house bots from 2019 to 2023, according to Poker Scout. Papaya Gaming had its motion to dismiss the case denied and the company has since dropped a factual dispute that it used bots to go up against humans.

The case now hinges on Papaya Gaming’s claim that it never deceived users about the bots and there was no harm done, according to Poker Scout. The company has said that it has since stopped the use of computers vs. human matchups.

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Mina Kimes poses on the ESPYs red carpet at the Dolby Theatre on July 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

Kimes wrote in a post on X that she didn’t vet the company properly.

"The truth is: I didn't spend any time looking into the whole thing, and that's 100% on me. Thought it was just typical marketing work, and I'm deeply embarrassed I didn't vet it. A colossal f----up on my (part)," she wrote.

She added on BlueSky that she wrote that she didn’t get paid from the company, and if she does, she would give the check away.