Mattress Mack Wins $75M With Historic Bet on Houston Astros

Luck was finally on the side of Houston, Texas furniture store owner, 'Mattress Mack' this time around. Jim McIngvale (his real name) placed a $3.35 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series last year, but lost when the Atlanta Braves beat Houston in Game 6. The loss didn't discourage him, and before this year's championship series, McIngvale placed $10 million on his hometown team. When the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6 Saturday, McIngvale won $75 million.

Forbes magazine says it's the largest payout in legal sports betting history. According to ESPN, McIngvale plans to use his $75 million in winnings for this year's promotional deal at his store, which offered any Gallery Furniture customer who spent at least $3,000 on furniture to get double their money back - if the Astros won the World Series. In an interview with NewsNation, he said the real winners are his customers, who are "happy, happy, happy getting free, free, free mattresses!"

Sportsbook Betfred, which recently started operations in the United States after being in the United Kingdom for several years, took a $1 million bet on the Astros from McIngvale in Iowa at 5-1 odds.

How Many Bets Did 'Mattress Mack' Make?

ESPN reports that the $5 million net payout to McIngvale is the largest in Betfred's 50-plus-year history as a bookmaker. Of course, there were multiple bets placed, including a $3 million bet on the Astros to win the World Series at 10-1 odds on Caesars Sportsbook's mobile app. The $3 million bet with Caesars was his largest, but not his only seven-figure bet on the Astros. After $7 million more in bets on the Astros over the summer at various sportsbooks with average payout odds of +750, McIngvale won around $75 million.

Now I'm wishing I had gone to Houston and bought a new mattress!

Who Are The 5 Richest People in Texas, Not Counting Elon Musk?

There are more billionaires in America than in any other country, according to Stacker. For some people, the money just keeps pouring in, as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is projected to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.

However, Bezos is not the world's richest person right now. That title goes to the founder of SpaceX, Tesla, and the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk. Musk owns a mansion in Austin but says his main home is a $50,000 rental from SpaceX in Boca Chica, Texas.

Forbes lists 63 billionaires in Texas, including Elon Musk. Let's find out who's at the top of the list in the Lone Star State for 2022, right behind Musk.

Hook ‘Em! 7 Celebrity Graduates From University of Texas at Austin

When you think of the University of Texas at Austin, what comes to your mind first? Is it celebrities? Of course, some celebrities are more vocal than others about their alma mater. Matthew McConaughey lets everyone know where he came from, so no surprises there. The actor is also a Professor of Practice at the university's Moody College of Communication, and graduated in 1993 with a Radio/TV/Film degree from UTA.

Aside from McConaughey, you might be surprised at some of the famous people who picked up a degree in the Lone Star State's capital city.