The Houston furniture magnate who became famous around the country with his huge bets on sports has focused the public attention with another significant wager, rooting for the Dallas Cowboys this time.
Another Huge Bet
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, wagered $2 million at Caesars Sportsbook in the Horseshoe Lake Charles casino on the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFL Playoff game with the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday, placing the spotlight on Louisiana again, reported The Advertiser.
“The publicity from this has been phenomenal,” commented Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Commission (LGC), Ronnie Johns, noting that people from every place he goes ask about Mattress Mack, and as chairman of the LGC “this is the kind of marketing” he wants but cannot buy.
“Every time Mattress Mack makes one of these bets here, it boosts our brand,” Johns added to support his claim that these massive bets generate media coverage across the country.
Similar to the $1 million bet McIngvale placed during the casino’s grand opening evening on December 12 on the Houston Cougars to win the men’s Final Four, he placed the massive bet in person and with cash to achieve a maximum effect for his furniture business which also benefits from the wagers.
Promotions for His Business
Using the huge wagers as promotions, customers at his Furniture Gallery stores who spend a minimum amount get their money back and keep the furniture they buy if he wins his wagers, while when he loses the promotions themselves drive sales up.
If his wager on the Dallas Cowboys who are considered to be the underdogs wins, Mattress Mack will win $3.35 million, a sum that is nothing compared to the $75 million he won last year on the Houston Actros after their World Series victory to make history by becoming the biggest winner from sports betting.
His massive winning made a huge dent in the state’s mobile sports wagering revenue, bringing it down by $27 million but he is no foreigner to huge losses, like the $9.5 million bet on the Cincinnati Bengals winning the last year’s Super Bowl he lost.
McIngvale’s philanthropy is the other reason for his popularity in Houston, Texas, where he opened his furniture stores as shelters during the Harvey hurricane in 2017 and the Uri winter storm in 2021. In Louisiana, he did the same during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Ida in 2021.