One of the betting world’s most notorious whales has surfaced ahead of Super Bowl 2026.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, a furniture tycoon from Houston, has a cool $2 million riding on the New England Patriots to beat the Seattle Seahawks in The Big Game.
McIngvale placed the seven-figure wager on the AFC to win the Super Bowl last week at Caesars Sportsbook.
McIngvale stands to net $4 million if the Pats (+200) to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
McIngvale’s bet is the largest that Caesars has taken ahead of next Sunday’s tilt, according to ESPN’s David Purdum.
This kind of stunt is nothing new for McIngvale.
He often uses these massive wagers in tentpole sporting events as a hedge against his trademark promotions at his Gallery Furniture stores in his hometown of Houston.
The furniture magnate is currently running a deal at his flagship stores: Spend $4,000 at McIngvale’s Gallery Furniture, and you qualify to get your money back if the Patriots beat the Seahawks.
McIngvale, 74, has been running gimmicks like this for a number of years, taking advantage of the legalization of sports betting to help hedge against promotions.
His most notable swing came in 2022 in which he won $75 million when the Houston Astros triumphed over the Phillies in the World Series.
“Mattress Mack” also cashed in on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, but he lost $4.5 million on the Bengals in 2022.
He didn’t run the promotion for last year’s Super Bowl because he was recovering from surgery.
McIngvale normally tries to back his hometown teams when the opportunity presents itself, but it doesn’t always pay off as the Astros did.
Betting on the NFL?
The deep-pocketed gambler has lost a couple of massive bets on the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament, and will surely be backing them again in a few weeks.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
