Mattress salesman bets $3.5M on Astros to win World Series

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A Houston mattress salesman bet $3.5 million that the Houston Astros will win the 2019 World Series.

Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale placed the big bet Tuesday at Scarlet Pearl Casino in Biloxi, Miss. He arrived with a briefcase full of cash before placing the wager with the DraftKings sportsbook. McIngvale sported an Alex Bregman Astros jersey while placing the bet.

"I'm just amazed how much DraftKings and Scarlet Peal took, and they didn't blink an eye," McIngvale told ESPN. "That's pretty rare in the sports betting business in the United States for someone to take $3.5 million."

McIngvale, 68, placed the bet at +220 odds, meaning he would win $7.7 million if the Astros can pull it off. The Astros begin their quest for a World Series title with an American League division series game against the Tampa Bay Rays or Oakland Athletics Friday in Houston.

McIngvale has additional bets on the Astros with other bookmakers and plans to make more wagers.

"I had a lot more markets to shop around to," McIngvale told The Action Network. "It's the biggest bet of my life and I'm thrilled DraftKings and the Scarlet Pearl was willing to take it."

"Mattress Mack" is the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston. He is running a promotion at the stores, promising a rebate to customers who have purchased $3,000 worth of furniture if the Astros win the World Series. McIngvale said his liability for the rebate has surpassed $15 million. He said Gallery Furniture has between $150 million and $200 million in annual revenue.

Gallery Furniture said it refunded more than $12 million during the promotion in 2017, when the Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Scarlet Pearl Casino said McIngvale's bet was the largest wager ever in the state of Mississippi.