Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is going back to his hometown team for his latest multimillion-dollar futures wagers.
The Houston furniture store owner has thrown down a combined $4 million on the Astros to win the World Series for a potential score of $42 million. Caesars Sportsbook confirmed a bet of $3 million to win $30 million at 10-1 odds, and WynnBet confirmed a $1 million wager at 12-1. The sportsbooks said McIngvale placed the bets in Louisiana via their mobile apps.
Caesars and WynnBet subsequently moved the Astros to 8-1. Houston was 21-11 heading into Friday’s games, leading the American League West by a half-game over the Los Angeles Angels.
From Super Bowl to Kentucky Derby
“It’s great to have Mattress Mack back and shooting for the moon for his home team Astros,” Ken Fuchs, head of sports at Caesars Sportsbook, said. “Rounding first base into a summer of baseball with $30 million on the hook will make every Houston game a little more fun for all of us.”
Caesars now has the Astros as the fourth favorite to win the World Series behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (+450), New York Mets (+750) and New York Yankees (+750). WynnBet has the Astros tied for third with the Mets at 8-1, behind the Dodgers (+475) and Yankees (+750).
“Always fun to get a Mack bet in the future markets,” Alan Berg, WynnBet vice president of trading, said. “Gets everyone in the trading room fired up to take some bets on other teams in the hunt and gives us some real sweats.”
McIngvale has drawn attention in the sports betting world over the last five years for placing huge wagers, usually to hedge promotions at his furniture stores. He lost a reported $9.5 million on the Cincinnati Bengals on the moneyline in this year’s Super Bowl and recently lost a reported $2.6 million on the Kentucky Derby, including a $1.5 million bet on Epicenter, who finished second.
In April, McIngvale won a reported $12.2 million when Kansas rallied to beat North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament championship game.