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However, the story doesn’t end there – Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale (known for his mattress business in Texas) also placed various other bets on the Astros with other sportsbooks (including Unibet), which has led him to win a total of $75m across the board.
McIngvale spent around $10m in bets prior to the World Series, but his largest amount was the $3m he spent with Caesars – which commented on his win through Caesars Digital COO Ken Fuchs, who said: “What can we say? We just wrote the biggest check in sports betting history to Mattress Mack for $30,000,000.”
After betting $1m with Betfred, the $5m payout McIngvale will receive from the sportsbook is the biggest in the 50-year history of the business.
Following the weekend, Fred Done, owner of Betfred, said: “I want to congratulate all you people in Texas, all you Houston Astros fans, and especially you, Mattress Mack. You had the guts to put your money on the line. You put $1m on the Astros with me at five-to-one. They won. You deserve your money, and I’m paying you.”
Meanwhile, Jim McIngvale is quoted as saying in ESPN: “Oh, it’s definitely a win-win. 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.”
