The Houston Astros won’t kick off the American League Championship until Wednesday night, when they face the New York Yankees for a shot at the final best of 7 series… the Fall Classic. But at least one man says he’s sure the team is going to “win it all” … so sure, in fact, he bet the farm on it.
Furniture store owner and Astros superfan Jim “Mattress Mack” Mcingvale announced late last week that if the Houston Astros win the whole kit and kaboodle, he wins $75 million. That would be the biggest sports bet payout in history. Mack said he placed several bets outside of Texas, which prohibits sports betting. He said he spent about $10 million on wagers.
And while the amount is unprecedented… Mack’s big bets are not. He’s known both for betting big, and for promotions that he runs at his Houston furniture chain, Gallery Furniture, to coincide with them. He said sometimes he wins, and sometimes he loses. But he said in the end, the promotions are always worth it for him, since they generate sales and revenue for his bottom line.
Take the current promotion, for example. On the Gallery Furniture website, there are several ads showing that if the Astros do, indeed win this year’s World Series, qualifying customers will not only get their recent furniture purchase for free… but they’ll get an additional $3,000 cash back from the store.
But Mack is also known for giving back to the community in a big way. During the winter storm of 2021, he opened his showrooms to stranded Houstonians, to serve as warming shelters. During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Mack opened up two of his Gallery Furniture locations as shelters, giving hundreds of people a dry, safe place to stay. Mack and the team at Gallery Furniture didn’t stop there: they sent delivery drivers in box vans into flooded areas in the Houston area to rescue stranded residents and bring them to safety.
On a recent episode of the Wheelhouse on ESPN radio in Houston, Mack was asked what drives his charitable spirit. “We’re proud to be a part of this community,” Mack said. “Proud to be part of the great citizens of Texas who supported us over the years and we have tried to support them.”
If Mcinvale does actually win big, it won’t be his first big payout in 2022. Back in February, the 71 year old risked it all, putting big money on Kansas to win the NCAA Men’s tournament. For that wager, he took home $15 million.
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