Jim McIngvale, the Houston furniture mogul known as "Mattress Mack," continued his run as America's most highly-publicized bettor, placing what's believed to be the largest mobile sports bet in history.
Last week, McIngvale drove from Texas to Louisiana to place several bets that totaled more than $4.5 million on the Bengals moneyline (+170) at Caesars Sportsbook.
This week, a few days ahead of Super Bowl 56, he added another $5 million on Bengals moneyline at Caesars.
His exposure on the Bengals now looks like this:
- Bet: $9,534,000
- To Win: $16,207,800
Caesars says the $5M bet is the largest legal wager ever placed, behind a $4.9 million bet on Rams moneyline at -900 in 2002 against the Patriots (which did not cash).
We also believe it's the largest online bet placed since the United States began allowing states to legalize betting in 2018.
The book will be rooting for the Rams on Sunday, sportsbook director Ken Fuchs said.
The Bengals Super Bowl bet, McIngvale says, is like all his other bets — tied to a promotion at his store. Customers who buy $3,000 or more of mattresses or reclining furniture will get their money back if Joe Burrow and the Bengals prevail.
Last year, McIngvale netted $2.75 million on his moneyline bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl. But since then, he's been cold, losing $9.9 million by being on the wrong side on four title bets.
Last baseball season, he bet $3.5 million over the course of the season on the Astros to win the World Series. Those bets would have paid north of $35 million if Houston beat the Braves.
This month alone, he lost on his College Football Playoff Title game bet on Alabama ($2.7 million) against Georgia. He also lost his two Super Bowl futures — $2 million on the New England Patriots and $1.7 million on the Tennessee Titans.
Mack did get some of that money back, as his $1.1 million bet on the Bengals to cover +3.5 two weeks ago against the Titans hit to the tune of $1 million.
"And with the millions of Caesars Rewards credits he’ll earn — win or lose — he can enjoy time spent on our mattresses at Caesars anytime he wants to stop by," said Fuchs, Head of Sports at Caesars Sportsbook.
