sims enjoyed his position as a successful author and playwright and belonged to the devonshire club, the eccentric club and others. he reported earnings of nearly £150,000 in 1898, but he gambled most of his wealth away, or gave it to charities, by the time of his death. he was passionate about sports, especially horse racing and boxing, and he played badminton and bred bulldogs. sims invented a tonic, tatcho, that was marketed to cure baldness, but his friends found this a source of mirth when it did not stop his own hairline from receding.