Written by :
Published on :
The Houston Astros are this year's World Series winners having defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6, 4-2. And among those celebrating, famed pro sports bettor and Houston area furniture magnate Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale.
He would go on to win a staggering $75 million, spread across five different sportsbooks, including Louisiana's Caesars Sportsbook. Much of this money was placed early in the season at 5-1 odds. McIngvale even got to throw the first pitch in Game 6 just days after dropping the F-bomb on a Phillies fan while watching the game in Philadelphia. Mack's traumatized reaction during that game, whereby the Astros lost, even made the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
McIngvale had bet on the Astros to win the World Series last year but Atlanta ultimately went on to win and Mack lost his multi-million bet. Most of his wagers, however, are considered hedges.
“In the past year I have sold 4,000 mattresses at $3,000 each," Mack told Somach during the 2021 World Series. "If the Astros win the World Series, every one of those mattress buyers will be refunded the full amount, which will be a total of about $12 million. After paying that out, it will leave a little bit of pocket change for me.
“In brick and mortar retail these days we are threatened by Amazon and other online dealers,” he continued. “We have to do something that makes us relevant.
“Giving the customer a chance to get their money back on a popular sports promotion has been a great way to increase interest in our store and get a lot of buzz. I’ve gotten a lot of media buzz on the futures bet so it’s working right now.”
Following that altercation in Philadelphia earlier in the week, Astros fans petitioned to have McIngvale throw out the first pitch in Game 6.
Ken Fuchs, head of Caesars Sportsbook, confirmed the winning bet by Mattress Mack.
"What can we say? We just wrote the biggest check in sports betting history to Mattress Mack for $30,000,000. Would we do it all again? You bet."
It's been five years since the Astros won the World Series. Their 2017 victory was marred with allegations of cheating. Since that time, however, Houston has shown they are the real deal, having made six straight ALCS appearances and four pennants.
“Dynasty is a big word,” said starter Lance McCullers, one of five current Astros remaining from the 2017 team. “Dynasty means you are defined by championships. For us, it cements our spot for this era of baseball. This organization has been able to do amazing things.”
Houston continues to take a lot of heat nonetheless.
Game 6 closing pitcher Ryan Pressly offered this quote after the 4-1 victory:
"We don't really give a s--- what they say," he said. "We won. We're the best. Ain't nothing they can say about it now."
Gambling911.com's Thomas Somach is slated to interview Mattress Mack in the coming days.
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported Mack had won $10 million. Counting the earlier season bets, the total won amounted to $75 million spread across five different sportsbooks.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
