Who is Mattress Mack? The Houston fan that bet $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series
With a history of big bets and a bigger heart, the 75-year-old entrepeneur may be in for the biggest payout in sports betting history.
The stage is set for the 2022 World Series and there is one fan who stands to win more than anybody - possibly players included - no matter which team wins the Fall Classic, but who is he?
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale bets big on Astros
Betting and top tier sports go hand in hand, but there are some who go even bigger. With the 2022 MLB World Series getting underway tomorrow, we’ve got the Philadelphia Phillies taking on the Houston Astros in a star-studded matchup. In the mix, we’ll have the reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper and a legend of pitching in Justin Verlander. Needless to say, this one’s a toss up in terms of who will ultimately lift the Commissioner’s Trophy. On the one side, the Astros are a juggernaut and on the other the Phillies just don’t know how to quit.
Either way, there’s one fan in particular who sees it going only one way. Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale appears to be so confident in his beloved Astros, that he bet a staggering $10 million on the team to win the whole ‘shabang.’ At 71-years-old, McIngvale is the owner of Gallery Furniture which is located in the Houston area. As you’ve probably guessed by now, the man known as “Mattress Mack” is no stranger to the sports betting world and with that, he’s now fixing to proverbially ‘break the bank.’ To be clear, if the Astros win and by extension McIngvale, he will pocket an estimated $75 million from the payout, which would indeed be among the largest payouts in the history of sports betting.
“Mattress Mack” has a history in betting
As big as his bet is, the truth is that it’s probably not ill advised. Having swept the New York Yankees in convincing fashion in the ALCS, the Astros are now just four games away from clinching their second World Series title and with it a massive payday for McIngvale. Interestingly, this is not hte first time that the furntiure mogul has placed a large bet on a team and to be fair, the last he did, he won. It was earlier this year in April, when McIngvale placed a $5.5 million bet on the Kansas Jayhawks to win the 2022 NCAA basketball tournament. Ultimately, the Jayhawks defeated the Tarheels and as such secured an $11 million pay out for McIngvale. Incidentally, McIngvale appears to be as dedicated to his customers as he is to the Astros. Reports indicate, that on occasion Gallery Furniture has offered promotions in which customers can receive furniture free of cost if specific teams won titles. While we’re going to remain neutral on the Fall Classic, we’ve got to admit that it’s kind of hard not to root for Mattress Mack.