‘Mattress Mack’ wagers $250K on Astros to win World Series
Mattress Mack is back and betting big again on the Houston Astros.
Houston furniture store owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale placed a $250,000 wager to win $6 million on the Astros to win the World Series on Tuesday morning at DraftKings sportsbook at Scarlet Pearl Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
McIngvale also made a $250,000 bet to win $375,000 on the Astros (+150) over the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of their playoff series Tuesday morning at the BetMGM sportsbook at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.
Kenta Maeda will start for Minnesota in the opener and Zack Greinke will start for Houston, which placed second in the American League West with a 29-31 record. The Twins (36-24), who have lost a record 16 straight playoff games, won the AL Central.
“I like the Astros with Greinke at +150,” said McIngvale, 69. “I still believe in the Astros. They’ve got a good team. They had a rough season, but they made it to the playoffs, and that’s all that matters now.
“It’s a whole new season, and whoever gets hot has got a shot.”
Another DraftKings bettor placed a $500,000 wager on Minnesota (-149) in Game 1.
McIngvale also placed a $10,000 wager to win $300,000 on the Astros to win the World Series on Thursday at the South Point.
The tireless promoter lost $13 million in 2019 World Series futures bets on Houston to hedge a possible $20 million loss on a promotion that offered full refunds to Gallery Furniture customers who purchased a mattress set of $3,000 or more if the Astros won it all.
Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports, McIngvale ran another promotion that offered customers who spend $3,000 or more on mattress purchases double their money back if the Astros win the 2020 World Series.
“We’ve got some liability,” he said. “But nothing like last year.”
McIngvale also lost three consecutive $1 million wagers against the Kansas City Chiefs in last season’s NFL playoffs, as the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers squandered leads in losses to the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
