NFL Fan Places Record Bet Worth Millions On Super Bowl
A man in the US has placed a record-breaking bet on the Super Bowl.
This man is Jim McIngvale, or 'Mattress Mack' as he's better known, the owner of furniture chain Gallery Furniture - and he has previous for this kind of thing.
His most recent record-breaking bet saw him drive 100 miles from Houston across the border into Louisiana, where mobile sports betting has recently been legalised.
Once there, the 70-year-old pulled in at a convenience store and used the Caesers Sportsbook app to place $4.53 million (£3.35 million) on the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI.
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This is understood to be the largest mobile sports wager in US history, and if underdogs the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Los Angeles Rams, McIngvale will claim more than $7.7 million (£5.69 million) in winnings.
McIngvale is known for placing whopping sports bets as a means of offsetting furniture promotions.
His latest bet will enable customers to get a refund on any mattress or reclining living room furniture - if the Bengals win, of course.
Speaking to CNBC, he said: "We've had a very good response to this so far, and as we move towards the Super Bowl on February the 13th the promotion will grow exponentially.
"So it's great for our customers to buy and possibly get their furniture free, free, free."
The Return of the Mack for the Super Bowl‼️@MattressMack just wagered $4,534,000 on the #CaesarsSportsbook app in Louisiana on the Bengals (+170) to win over the Rams.
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) February 4, 2022
Potential win: $7,707,800
This marks the single biggest mobile wager of all-time 👀#BetLikeACaesar pic.twitter.com/pBJjtU9x49
Asked whether he expects to sell enough furniture to cover his stake, he said: "I anticipate selling $15 million to $20 million worth of furniture."
Obviously, this sounds like a win-win, but what about if favourites the Rams come out on top?
Well, McIngvale believes the bet will have a positive outcome whatever the result.
He explained: "If the other team wins then I'm just out that money, but it was good to have the promotion and create the excitement among the customers."
Indeed, he has lost big on similar bets in the past.
For example, last season he spread around $13 million (£9.61 million) on the Houston Astros to win the World Series, but they lost to the Atlanta Braves.
McIngvale said: "My wife says I have a gambling problem, I really just have a promotion problem.
"I'll be in the dog house with my wife [if he loses], but I've been there before, I'll get out of it.
"I think it's going to be an exciting Super Bowl, I think it's going to go down to the last play."
Topics: Gambling, Sport, US News, Super Bowl, NFL
Jake Massey