It’s been around three years since most people who don’t hail from Houston were first introduced to Jim McIngvale, the furniture magnate more commonly referred to as “Mattress Mack” who garnered a ton of attention after throwing down a total of $13 million on the Astros to win the 2019 World Series to hedge against a promotion offering Gallery Furniture customers refunds if the hometown team managed to take home the title.
That particular bet failed to cash, and while a loss that large may have made many people swear off gambling for good, Mattress Mack is not one of them.
Since then, McIngvale has made over a dozen sizeable bets on a number of premier sporting events, including the $4 million he dropped on Essential Quality to win the 2021 Kentucky Derby and the more than $6 million he placed on Alabama to top Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Unfortunately, Mattress Mack has earned a reputation as a bit of a jinx thanks to his fairly abysmal track record; of the 15 big bets he’s placed since 2019, only two have ultimately cashed, and his net performance has put him in the red to the tune of more than $26 million as of this writing.
However, he now has the chance to end up back in the green with a single wager with the help of the team that started it all.
“Mattress Mack” will take home $75 million—the largest legal wager in history—if the Astros beat the Phillies in the World Series
McIngvale bounced back from his $2.6 million loss at this year’s Kentucky Derby with a $3 million futures bet on Houston to win the World Series at +1000, which by itself would be the largest single win ever recorded at a legal sportsbook.
However, Mattress Mack (who is running another ‘Stros-related promo at his stores) didn’t stop there. In July, he wagered another $2 million (this time at +553), and heading into the October Classic, Action Network reports he has betting slips worth a combined $10 million that will net him a total of $75 million if the Astros are able to land their second (and, depending on who you ask, first legitimate) trophy in franchise history.
It’s worth noting The Astros—who haven’t lost a single game this postseason—opened as the favorites (-170) to triumph over Philadelphia in a series that will kick off on Friday night, so if they’re able to avert a miniature upset, Mattress Mack will be a very happy (and, presumably, very rich) man.