Man wins record $75 million sports bet payout after Astros World Series win
A Houston, Texas, furniture store owner has made history for winning the largest sports bet payout ever after the Houston Astros won the World Series Saturday.
Jim McIngvale, also known as "Mattress Mack," earned a $75 million payday after the Astros bested the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, the 71-year-old announced in a tweet which showed him holding a suitcase full of money.
In a statement posted to Twitter, McIngvale expressed his gratitude to 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 cover the costs of a new promotion at his Houston-area Gallery Furniture stores in which he said anyone who spends $3,000 or more on mattresses would get their entire purchase for free.
McIngvale told ESPN last week that he had he put $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series, splitting the bet across different platforms, including $1 million with WynnBET and $3 million with Caesars Sportsbook. At the time he placed the bets, the Astros' odds of winning the title were roughly +750 across the sports betting apps, earning him the $75 million prize.
Sports betting analytics firm Action Network had earlier confirmed that $75 million would be the largest ever payout.
McIngvale has become famous for his multimillion dollar sports bets across football, college basketball, baseball and horse racing. He won an estimated $15 million when the University of Kansas won the NCAA men's basketball tournament in April, CBS Sports reported, but also lost nearly $10 million in February when he bet that the Cincinnati Bengals would win Super Bowl LVI. He also lost $1.5 million earlier this year on the Kentucky Derby, according to Bleacher Report.
Last year, he lost a $3.2 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series.
McIngvale also drew attention last year for allowing hundreds of local residents to shelter in his Gallery Furniture stores when a massive snowstorm left Texans without heat or power. In 2017, he also transformed some of the stores into shelters after Hurricane Harvey hit.
Following Saturday's win, he said he would do whatever he could for Houstonians.
"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.:
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