Mattress Mack wagers 'exciting' $2 million bet on Astros World Series win

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is willing to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to the Houston Astros.

Back in June, the Houston-based business owner moved to wager a $2 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series using the William Hill app. According to CBS Sports, if McIngvale’s bet proves on the mark, it stands to net him the largest payout ($22 million) in U.S. sports betting history.

With the Astros having knocked off the Chicago White Sox in the American League Division Series and bested the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of their division showdown, Caesars vice president Craig Mucklow is keeping close watch over all the action after the company purchased William Hill for $3.7 billion last month.

"Obviously the Astros would be the worst-case scenario,” he said. “This is the first time I've seen something like this wager in the futures market. It's an exciting bet to take, but it would be nice if they got knocked out early."  

McIngvale made the wagers to hedge for his "Astros Win" promotion, which allows Gallery Furniture mattress customers spending over $3,000 to get their money back if the Astros win it all. McIngvale recently told Action Network his liability is $20 million, meaning the bet he placed William Hill would cover everything if the Astros reign victorious.

In addition, McIngvale placed bets with at least three other made sports books that could earn him a payout in the neighborhood of $35 million.

Nothing about the situation seems to scare McIngvale, who said he’s been here before. Down to his last $10,000 back in the early 1980s, McIngvale went all in on TV advertising for his furniture store business. He earned the nickname “Mattress Mack” from wearing mattresses on wacky commercials for the business.

After topping Chicago, the Astros were tied with the since ousted San Francisco Giants as the 5-1 second choice behind the L.A. Dodgers (3-1), at the Westgate SuperBook.

“I think the Astros have got as good a chance as anybody,” McIngvale added. “Whichever team gets hot will win. It generates a lot of business when the Astros are relevant, and they are in Houston right now.”