Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale has made a habit out of taking ridiculously high bets on Texas sports teams and using those wagers as promotions for his Houston area furniture store. He is once again putting his money where his mouth is for the NCAA Tournament. The Houston Cougars have been a top team in college basketball, and McIngvale has been in taking large wagers on them to win the championship all season long. Now “Mattress Mack” will hope Houston can get past the Miami Hurricanes on Friday night in order to reach the Sweet 16.
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Mattress Mack Looks to Make $35 Million on Houston Run
Back in December, McIngvale placed the first bet at a new Caesars Sportsbook location in Texas, a $1M wager on the Houston Cougars to win the NCAA Tournament at +800. He was not done there, though. The furniture mogul added bets of $1.05 million on Houston +850 at FanDuel Sportsbook; $1 million on Houston +900 at DraftKings and $500,000 on Houston +1000 at BetMGM.
All in all, McIngvale has a whopping $3.55 million on Houston to win the National Championship. He will earn a $25 million payday if the Cougars pull it off.
“The Cougars have a good team. They have a good shot,” he said, per Fox Sports. “It’s like the Astros last season. They’ve got a good path to get there and just have to go out and play well.”
Mattress Mack’s Houston Astros Return
As previously mentioned, this is not McIngvale’s first radio when it comes to placing insanely large wagers on sports teams in his home state. Throughout last MLB season, he went all-in on the Houston Astros, netting over $70 million from futures bets when the Astros were able to defeat in Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
Now the attention shifts to the Houston basketball team, who have a real shot to pull off the triumph. The Cougars suffered a scare earlier in the tournament when top scorer, Marcus Sasser, aggravated a groin injury, leaving his availability in question. But Sasser gutted through the injury and was able to pour in 22 points in the win over Auburn in the second round.
“I’ve just been doing a good job getting treatment, massages, stretches,” said Sasser ahead of the Miami matchup, per ESPN. “I’d say I’ll probably be around 90 percent by Friday, so I’ve been getting healthy.”
Getting Sasser back to full health will prove vital for Houston’s championship hopes (and “Mattress Mack’s future). They are currently a 7.5-point favorite over the Hurricanes (on DraftKings) on Friday night and would play the winner of the Texas-Xavier game if they are to come away victorious.
Bettors should be sure to use OddsShopper tools for all the best value on CBB bets for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament!
Legal Betting Age is 21+ in Most States. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler
