After the Houston Astros won the World Series on Saturday, the owner of a furniture store in Houston, Texas, won the most money ever on a sports bet.
Jim McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack,” made $75 million after the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, which the 71-year-old said in a tweet that showed him holding a suitcase full of cash.
In a tweet, McIngvale thanked the city of Houston, the Astros, and his wife, Linda.
“This last week has been especially… beyond words,” he said.
McIngvale said he would use the $75 million to pay for a new promotion at his Gallery Furniture stores in the Houston area. He said that anyone who spends $3,000 or more on mattresses would get their whole purchase for free.
Last week, McIngvale told ESPN that he had bet $10 million that the Astros would win the World Series. He said that he had split the bet between different sites, betting $1 million with WynnBET and $3 million with Caesars Sportsbook. At the time he placed the bets, the odds of the Astros winning the championship were about +750 across all sports betting apps. This won him $75 million.
Action Network, a company that looks at data about sports betting, had already confirmed that $75 million would be the largest payout ever.
McIngvale is known for betting millions of dollars on football, college basketball, baseball, and horse races. CBS Sports said that he won about $15 million when the University of Kansas won the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in April, but he lost almost $10 million when he bet that the Cincinnati Bengals would win Super Bowl LVI in February. Bleacher Report says that he also lost $1.5 million in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
He lost $3.2 million on a bet that the Astros would win the World Series last year.
Last year, McIngvale also got a lot of attention for letting hundreds of locals stay in his Gallery Furniture stores when a big snowstorm knocked out power and heat in Texas. After Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, he also turned some of the stores into places to stay.
After the win on Saturday, he said he would do anything he could for the people of Houston.
“I love y’all. I love this city. I would do anything for this city. And I would do anything for you,” McIngvale said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this city and will ALWAYS stand up for whats right, and like in Harvey, Imelda, and more will always do my best to act QUICKLY on the side of the people.”
