A Houston furniture store owner and Astros superfan known as “Mattress Mack” has won a record $75m after betting $10m on his team to win the World Series.
Jim McIngvale, 71, announced he had won the largest legal payday in US sports betting history in a tweet which showed a picture of himself next to a suitcase full of money.
“This last week has been especially... beyond words,” Mr McIngvale said in a separate message posted to Twitter after the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to claim the World Series 4-2 on Saturday night.
In an interview with ESPN, Mr McIngvale said he had split the $10m bet across three platforms at odds of +750.
Analysts Action Network confirmed it was the largest recorded legal payout in US sports betting history.
Mr McIngvale told Fox 26 most of the winnings would go into funding a promotion at his Gallery Furniture stores in which anyone who bought a certain mattress brand for more than $3,000 would get their money back.
A prominent Houston business mogul, philanthropist and sports fan, Mr McIngvale has attracted headlines for making a string of seven-figure wagers in recent years.
He won an estimated $15m betting on Kansas to win the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in April, CBS Sports reported.
Mr McIngvale also reportedly lost nearly $10m betting on the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl in February, $1.5m on the Kentucky Derby, and a $3.2m wager on the Astros winning last year’s World Series.
Last February, Mr McIngvale opened his stores to hundreds of Texans who were left without power or heat during a winter snowstorm.
He also turned stores into makeshift shelters during previous natural disasters including 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019.
In a statement, Mr McIngvale paid tribute to his wife Linda and the Astros, and promised to do whatever he could to help the residents of his hometown.
“You’ve always been there for me, for your neighbour, for your community, for our city, for our state, for our country, and I’m grateful to you
“I love y’all. I love this city. I would do anything for this city. And I would do anything for you,” Mr 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.”
