Sports betting hasn’t been legalized yet in Texas, though you can argue that the closest thing there is to sportsbook in the Lone Star State is a furniture store built like a castle.
On the morning ahead of Game 1 of the World Series, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale sits behind his desk in the front of Gallery Furniture like he always does. Customers are always eager to talk to Mack, and many of them today have one thing on their mind that they want to discuss most—his potentially historic bets on the Astros to win the World Series.
On 13 May, Mack put down $3 million on the Astros to win the World Series at 10/1 odds at Caesars Sportsbook. That potential $30 million win would be the largest one ever at a legal U.S. sportsbook. Overall, Mack has placed $10 million on the Astros with a total potential win of $75 million.
“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 I don’t think any other sportsbook is close. 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.”
Just like he’s done with his previous bets, Mack has tied a Gallery Furniture promotion to hedge his monster wager. Mack originally offered for customers to get twice their money back, meaning if you spent $3,000 on a mattress you would get $6,000 back if the Astros won it all. That promotion lasted until July 5, which is when he changed it to getting 100 percent back on all mattress purchases instead of that original 200%.
Last Monday, he had to halt the promotion because he had sold through the potential $75 million potential Astros win in furniture. According to Mack, at least 3,000 customers will be sweating out the World Series with free furniture and double cash back on the line.
“Whenever Mack places one of these bets, it lights up on social media,” said Mac Kady, an Astros fan who attended Game 1. “I’ve never done the promotion, but my brother [Charlie] did it in 2017. He had just bought a house and then bought a bunch of mattresses, and they became free after the Astros won. It basically felt like a sports bet since he had free mattresses riding on it. Since then, I’ve been following Mack’s bets every year.”
Even though the promotion is over, Mack is still giving away mattresses during the World Series—but this time for charity. He’s teamed up with Caesars Sportsbook and Tempur-Sealy Mattress to provide new mattresses to First Responders, Military Vets and Active Duty military members in Houston, Philadelphia and Atlantic City.
Mack is beloved in the city of Houston, but he is also gaining more fans outside of his home city as his popularity as a sports bettor continues to rise. Jaime Gongora and Rick Diaz popped into Gallery Furniture on Friday afternoon after a six-hour drive from McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. The first thing they wanted to do upon arriving in Houston was to get photos with Mack and talk to him about the Astros.
“I really like what he did for Houston during the hurricane [Harvey], he’s a wonderful man,” Diaz said. “I’m rooting for him all the way. We came out for the game, but we also really wanted to see Mack. We haven’t even checked into the hotel yet. We googled the address of the store and we drove straight here to meet him.”
Gongora added: “Being a gambler myself, I found [Mack’s] bets very exciting. It’s just one of those things that doesn’t happen too often. We drove six hours straight and first wanted to come here to talk to him and get a picture. He’s a pretty popular guy, especially if you’re into betting. I’m definitely rooting for him—to see anybody, regardless of what team they bet on, to maybe win that type of money on a bet is awesome.”
Mack arrived at Minute Maid Park a couple hours before first pitch, and immediately got swarmed by fans. Former NFL quarterback and Texas Longhorns legend Vince Young got a hello in early on. As he did a lap around the concourse, the group of people surrounding him seemingly grew at every step.
“Thank you so much for everything you do,” shouted one Astros fan.
“75 million on the way,” exclaimed another.
Even Phillies fans wanted in on the action, putting their allegiances briefly aside to get a photo in. Mack revealed that he gets even more attention from opposing fanbases about his big bets compared to Houston’s. But this year, the overall popularity and support on his Astros World Series bets have taken on a new level.
“This is far and away the most buzz I’ve gotten on any of my sports bets,” Mack said. “We’re all backing the Astros, I just happen to be a little part of it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard in the store ‘I hope you win your bet.’ They know what’s going on and they know we’re playing for some high stakes. It’s fun for them, and they can live it vicariously through me. People love sports in Texas, and this promotion makes it a fun outlet to root for our teams.” 카지노사이트
