The Houston Astros lost the World Series Wednesday night, and the fan known as Mattress Mack bet big on them and lost.
The Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the World Series, leaving fans disappointed. But one fan, who has now come to be known a Mattress Mack, is likely particularly disappointed Thursday morning.
Jim McIngvale owns Gallery Furniture in Houston. He initially offered a promotion offering to refund mattress purchases of $3,000 or more if the Astros won the World Series. In 2017, when the Astros did win the World Series, a similar promotion cost him $13 million. So in an attempt to offset that potential liability this year, McIngvale placed some big bets on the Astros.
On Oct. 1, McIngvale placed a $3.5 million bet at the DraftKings sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi. It ranked as the largest bet ever taken by a U.S. bookmaker.
On Oct. 3, he placed a $1.5 million bet at the FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands. A $200,000 bet at a Las Vegas casino followed, with other undisclosed wagers made at other notable Vegas bookmakers.
On Thursday, Darren Rovell of The Action Network reported McIngvale flew to Mississippi and placed another $700,000 bet on the Astros to win Game 7.
So in total, according to The Action Network, “Mattress Mack” lost more than $13 million on bets the Astros would beat the Nationals. He has no regrets though.
I feel like I hedged perfectly. …I would have loved for the Astros fans to win, but we had two bad games. My mattresses obviously had profit baked into them. I would do this again tomorrow — and I probably will. It’s fun to be part of the greatest story in gambling history.
In particular, sports books in New Jersey are breathing a sigh of relief Thursday morning. If the Astros had won, they would have lost $6 million to “Mattress Mack” alone.