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'Mattress Mack' creates history as gambler wins $75M betting on Astros in World Series

'I love y’all, I love this city, I would do anything for this city, and I would do anything for you,' Mattress Mack tweeted after winning

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Once Ray Kroc, McDonald's founder said, "If you're not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business." It seems like an Astros superfan took this quote seriously and now he is laughing all the way to the bank. Gambler "Mattress Mack" created history on Saturday, November 5, as he raked in $75 million winning bets after Houston defeated the Phillies in Game 6 and won the 2022 World Series. 

The whopping amount of money won by Mack whose real name is Jim McIngvale is believed to be the largest payout in sports betting history according to multiple reports. Mack placed $10 million in bets across several sportsbooks. The 71-year-old American businessman and owner of the Gallery Furniture retail chain initially placed a $3 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series with Caesars Sportsbook.

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“What can we say? We just wrote the biggest check in sports betting history to Mattress Mack for $30,000,000,” Caesars Digital COO Ken Fuchs said Saturday night, according to ESPN. A portion of Mack's winnings will go toward paying customers on a promotion he ran at his furniture store as he offered any client who spent more than $3,000 double their money back if the Astros won the title. One of the bets Mattress Mack placed was a $1 million wager on 5/1 odds at Betfred, which its US COO, Bryan Bennett, told ESPN was “significantly larger” than any bet the company has taken since opening stateside.

"Oh, it's definitely a win-win," Mack told ESPN in a recent profile. "These promotions just bring the brand to life and give us a ton of brand equity that we wouldn't have otherwise. The customers love it, so they're totally engaged and talk about it for years. Because it runs all season long, it probably ups the number of people following the Astros, too, because now they have a real vested interest in the team."

After the Phillies won Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, things were not looking bright for Mattress Mack. He was in Philadelphia for the matches and got into a serious argument with Phillies fans after that loss. “I love y’all. I love this city. I would do anything for this city, and I would do anything for you”, Mack, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch in Houston before Saturday’s game, released a long statement on Twitter after the Astros’ World Series win.