Since the Houston Texans aren’t involved in Super Bowl LV, prolific sports gambler Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is putting his money on Tom Brady.
The Houston furniture store owner, known for this million-dollar wagers on his hometown Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series, placed a $3.46 million bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers getting 3.5 points from the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
McIngvale few into Colorado Wednesday night and placed the wager on a mobile wagering app operated by DraftKings. He discounted the Chiefs repeating as Super Bowl champions.
“The NFL has only seen eight instances of back-to-back champions and none in the past 16 years, so I like my chances going into Super Bowl LV for this trend to continue,” McIngvale said. “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.”
DraftKings Director of Sportsbook Johnny Avello said the company had accepted significant wagers on both sides of the Super Bowl, with bettors “laying -3 on the Chiefs and taking the Buccaneers at +3.5 as fans try to get the best possible line.”
McIgavle stands to win more than $2.7 million on the wager.
McIngvale gained nationwide attention after reportedly losing $13 million while wagering on the Astros in the 2019 World Series. The Astros lost Game 7 at home to the Washington Nationals and McIngvale had reportedly bet millions bet on the contest. However, his Houston furniture store reportedly earned nearly $9 million through promotions tied to his bets.
Much of those 2019 wagers were placed at the Scarlet Pearl Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, where DraftKings operates the property’s sportsbook. Mack’s home state of Texas does not have legal sports betting.
Avello called McIngvale “a great customer and is someone we have a history with after taking his sizeable wager on the Astros.” For the Super Bowl, Avello said the gambler is “handicapping the game out of a pure belief that the Buccaneers can either win or at least cover the spread.”
Mack placed the wager from the Colorado Springs Airport on his mobile device.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
