One more game to go
Is Lady Luck finally going to smile on Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and help him break his losing streak? The Houston businessman, who typically lays down huge bets to offset the cost of promotions at his Gallery Furniture store, is just one game away from bagging $10.4m.
backed the Kansas Jayhawks to win
Late last week, he backed the Kansas Jayhawks to win the NCAA men’s basketball national championship. Barstool Sportsbook took to Twitter Sunday to share the $2.3m bet McIngvale placed with the firm returning $4.2m:
He also laid down a $3.3m wager at Caesars Sportsbook to win $6.2m. The bettor stands to win the $10.4m prize after placing both wagers before the Final Four at odds of +190.
On Saturday, the furniture magnate took a step closer to a major payout after Kansas beat Villanova 81-65 to advance to Monday’s national title game against the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tarheels.
End of losing streak nigh?
Should McIngvale’s NCAA bets come good, it will represent a change in fortune for the renowned sports bettor on an epic losing streak. Since the turn of 2022, McIngvale has lost $17.6m backing the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the College Football Playoff National Championship and, at various stages, the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl.
Judging by the response on Twitter, however, McIngvale’s Kansas bets have caused users such as Ryan Murphy to tip UNC:
Another Twitter user going by the name Big Brain Benny lamented his futures bet on Kansas to win at +1400 “to just get ruined by mattress mack so congrats to UNC for winning it all.”
Drake loses out this time
Rapper Drake, another prolific high-stakes gambler, fared better than Mattress Mack at Super Bowl LVI, making a $298,000+ profit. That said, like McIngvale, he does have priors when it comes to losing wagers, such as his $275,000 bet on Jorge Masvidal to Win UFC 272.
left his pocket $100,000 lighter
Drake has proved less lucky than Mack when it comes to this year’s NCAA tournament, already bowing out of the betting stakes for the championship. As US media and entertainment firm Complex shared via Twitter, Drake’s Stake wager on Duke Blue Devils to beat UNC left his pocket $100,000 lighter: