Nationals-Astros: US man loses $12m bet on World Series
Jim McIngvale, who owns a chain of mattress shops, stood to win $20m if his team were victorious in the MLB World Series.
The Washington Nationals upset the odds to win their first ever World Series against the Houston Astros, a result that cost a US better $12 million.
Jim McIngvale, who owns the Mattress Mack chain of shops, laid the colossal bet over three different states and stood to pocket $20m from his flutter if the Astros, winners of the World Series two years ago, repeated their success against the Nationals, who went into the seven-game showpiece as the underdogs.
The Astros led the series 3-2 and had home field advantage for the final two games but the Nationals pulled off an incredible shock to take the title 4-3 after winning both games at the Minute Maid Park, completing an historic feat as the Washington team became the first in the history of baseball, the NHL and the NBA to win all of their post-season away matches.
Astros fan: "It’s fun to be part of the history of the game"
McIngvale took the result in good humour though: “It’s fun to be part of the history of the game,” he told The Action Network. “I had a lot of profit accumulated from the mattress trade. I’d do the same thing tomorrow. Maybe I will.”
The canny businessman did save himself a few dollars on his flutter despite the Astros’ defeat – McIngvale had offered a full refund to every customer who spent more than $3,000 in one of his shops if his team had been victorious.