Betting big
High-stakes sports bettor and business tycoon Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has placed a $2m wager on the Dallas Cowboys to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL playoffs this weekend. It is the latest in a long string of mega bets the Texas-based businessman has made in recent years.
stands to win $3.35m if the Cowboys come out on top
The Cowboys will face off against the 49ers on Sunday in California in the final game of the NFC Divisional Round. Mattress Mack placed his bet in person with Caesars Sportsbook and stands to win $3.35m if the Cowboys come out on top. Mack bet on the underdog Cowboys in two separate $1m bets at +165 and +170. Caesars has the 49ers as 4-point favorites.
As he typically does when he places a big wager, Mattress Mack is running a promotion at his Gallery Furniture store in Houston in which customers will get refunds on qualifying mattress purchases of at least $3,000 bought during the promotional period if the bet is a winner.
The Cowboys’ chances
Mattress Mack already placed $200,000 on the Cowboys to win NFC Championship at +650 odds last Monday afternoon. If that comes to fruition, he would get a return of almost $1.5m. The winner of Sunday’s game will face either the Philadelphia Eagles or the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game on January 29.
The Cowboys have not won an NFC Championship since 1995, the same year it won its fifth Super Bowl. The team had a 12-5 record during the regular season and easily defeated Tom Brady’s Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs. Led by Dak Prescott, the Cowboys will be seeking revenge for its defeat last season in the Wild Card round to the 49ers.
A history of big bets
Mattress Mack clearly loves placing big bets, many of which are on Texas-based teams. Most recently, he placed and lost more than $3m worth of bets on the TCU Horned Frogs, who played the Georgia Bulldogs in the college football National Championship game. The Bulldogs romped to victory, 65-7.
a record-breaking sportsbook payout of $75m
His most high-profile recent bet in was one that yielded him a record-breaking sportsbook payout of $75m when the Houston Astros won last year’s MLB World Series. From that record win, $73m went back to customers as part of his furniture store giveaway, with the remaining $2m going toward expenses.