Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, a Texas furniture store chain owner, leads the pack of big bettors with a multimillion-dollar wager for Super Bowl 55.
McIngvale plunked down $3.46 million on the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover a 3.5 spread.
The businessman reportedly flew to Colorado Springs on Wednesday and placed his bet via the DraftKings mobile betting app. The bet is one of the largest ever placed on the app, according to ESPN.
McIngvale reportedly paid “a little extra in juice (-127) to get the Bucs at +3.5.” If he wins, McIngvale will win $2.72 million if Tampa Bay covers the spread, ESPN added.
“Tampa Bay is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and led by the greatest football player of all time in Tom Brady, so I’m betting big on the Bucs who have overcome tough matchups throughout this postseason,” McIngvale said in a DraftKings press release.
McIngvale is a longtime customer of DraftKings.
“Mack has been a great customer and is someone we have history with after taking his sizable wager on the World Series a couple seasons ago,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ sportsbook director.
McIngvale put up more than $11 million for the 2019 World Series, but he lost one of his bets, a $3.5 million futures wager when the Astros lost to the Nationals seven games.
Mattress Mack has also extended his love of the game to his mattress customers. Those who spend $3,000 at his store before the big game has their purchase refunded if the Bucs beat the Kansas City Chiefs.
Along with McIngvale’s bet, another bettor put down a $2.3 million wager on Tampa Bay last week at BetMGM in Nevada.
The betting industry notes that most of the betting for Super Bowl 55 is on the Chiefs to win. As of Wednesday, 82 percent of bets have been on the Chiefs to cover the spread.
“The largest reported Super Bowl bet ever, in terms of amount risk,” ESPN added, “is believed to be a $4.8 million money-line wager on the Rams to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI that was placed with MGM in Las Vegas in 2002. The Patriots upset the Rams 20-17.”
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