HOUSTON, TEXAS – Alex Bregman #2 and Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrate during the … [+]
The Houston Astros are world champions for the second time. The Astros topped the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 Saturday night to win the Fall Classic in six games. Jim McIlgvale, known as ‘Mattress Mack’ and owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, had $10 million in futures bets on the Astros to win the World Series.
McIlgvale threw out the first pitch ahead of Game 6 at Minute Maid Park. Three hours later, he won $75 million.
That includes $30 million at Caesars Sportsbook – the biggest payout in U.S. sports betting history. Mattress Mack bet $3 million at 10/1 odds back in May at Caesars Sportsbook. He drove across the Texas border to place an online bet on the Caesars Sportsbook App from a parking lot at a Subway sandwich shop in Louisiana – one of 17 states where Caesars Sportsbook operates legally in the United States.
Mack added more futures bets on the Astros at 5/1 odds starting in July. He bet $2 million with BetMGM; $2 million with Barstool Sports, and $1 million each with Wynn, Unibet and Betfred. In total, Mattress Mack had $10 million on the line to win $75 million.
Mattress Mack Bets and Charity
Mattress Mack’s sports bets on the biggest games and series have been making headlines since he bet on the Astros to win the World Series back in 2017. He uses the sports bets to hedge against promotions for his store, Gallery Furniture.
Customers who spend at least $3,000 on a Tempur-Pedic mattress and/or made in America furniture at his Gallery Furniture stores are given a full refund if the team Mattress Mack wagers on wins the World Series – in this case the hometown Houston Astros.
James Franklin McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack”, poses with fans prior to Game 1 of the 2022 … [+]
For this year’s World Series, McIngvale doubled the refund, providing a bigger bonus to customers who took advantage of the promotion starting in May through early July.
Just ahead of the World Series, Mr. McIlgvale joined Caesars Sportsbook Head of Sports and COO Ken Fuchs for an online press conference to discuss Mack’s bets, his partnership with Caesars in charity promotions and additional questions from the media.
“Caesars was the only sportsbook that would let me place a $3 million bet on the Astros,” Mack said. “Caesars takes more action than anybody, and from my point of view, Caesars is the champion of taking big bets in this country. Caesars does a whole lot of things right to make it a customer-friendly experience. It’s definitely my favorite sportsbook to bet with.”
Mr. McIngvale and Caesars shared details about a special collaboration between Caesars Sportsbook, Mack, and Sealy Mattress. The group set out to provide new mattresses to First Responders, Military Vets, and Active Duty military members in both World Series cities of Houston and Philly, along with Atlantic City as a celebration of Mack’s historic bet with Caesars and a testament to the philanthropic commitment Mack has always shown over the years.
“From our point of view, it’s a lot of fun to be a part of this bet,” Ken Fuchs said. “But being able to give something back to the community, it’s been a pleasure to team up with Mack, who is incredibly generous.”
The Caesars Sportsbook & Casino Truck was loaded up with mattresses and traveled from city to city during the World Series and delivered mattresses.
Mattress Mack and Caesars also shared in providing multiple Astros fans and family’s tickets to Astros playoff games. That included against the Yankees in the ALCS after a family bought tickets online to take their son to a game but were scammed and never received the tickets.
“Baseball brings joy to the entire city, and we’re happy to do whatever we can to make people’s live better through baseball and the fan experience,” Mack said.
Mr. McIngvale, 71, has been giving back to the community and helping people and families through disasters as well. He’s opened up his furniture store showrooms as shelter for people who fled Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019 and Hurricane Ida in 2021, providing a safe haven to dozens of families who fled damaged homes and rising floodwaters along the Gulf Coast.
Mack teamed up with volunteer groups to load up trucks and provide generators, food, water and clothing to people in need in Louisiana, and also to family’s in Texas when the winter storms caused power outages to millions of people last year.
A friend of McIngvale’s who helped coordinate volunteer efforts said, “Mack has a big heart and people are inspired by that.”
The Houston Astros played inspired baseball to come through the playoffs and ‘Leveled Up’ to win the World Series. Astros fans, and Gallery Furniture promotion buyers couldn’t be happier. And neither could Mattress Mack, an avid Astros fan, who cashed in big to cover his promotion assets.
So what’s next for Mattress Mack? See you at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Sounds like Mattress Mack and some of his Gallery Furniture employees will be celebrating the Astros World Series title and a massive payout on his bets.
You can bet on it.
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