Chris Boline
With the Major League Baseball World Series here, you better believe that there are countless bets being made. However, when it comes to the excitement of making wagers, that of course can’t go down, as it’s still illegal for Texas sports betting to be recorded. With that said, the man known as ‘Mattress Mack’ could make history with Astros World Series win if they take down Atlanta.
Of course, the easiest way to do this is outside the state or through a mobile app where sports betting is made legal. With this said, Houston-area celebrity “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is no stranger to finding ways to make his bets and try and earn some big bucks on his beloved Houston Astros. The team, managed by Dusty Baker, is in the middle of action against the Atlanta Braves.
Again, millions and millions of dollars have been placed on the team from Texas, with McIngvale among the biggest bettors out there. Matter of fact, Mack has recently revealed that he has a combined bet of $3 million on Houston to win it all. Not only that, he’s got one bet in particular for $2 million that he placed through the Caesars Sportsbook back in June.
At the time of that bet, which was placed early on in the season, the Astros were +1000 to win it all. So, should Houston go on to win, Mack would take home a head-turning $20 million. This is a number that is nothing short of crazy. It shows how big of a fan Mack is of Houston, but also the big-time confidence he has in the team to get things done.
I talked to Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale after his first pitch today, and he told me he has "more than $20 million" bet on the Astros to win the World Series this year. https://t.co/hFVEHRXNOK via @chron
— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) October 7, 2021
‘Mattress Mack’ ready to set historic victory
As you might have been able to guess, ‘Mattress Mack’ is ready to set historic victory here betting wise if the Astros win the World Series going up against the Braves. Things of course got off to a rough start for Mack with Houston losing Game 1, but this team sure has what it takes. If they do, Mack’s $20 million win (+1000 from June) through Caesars Sportsbook would become the highest single payout ever.
When this bet was first made, very few people figured the Astros would have a chance of actually winning it all here. The favorites were the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and even the Chicago White Sox were huge contenders. However, those teams are out of the running. Obviously, Caesars is hoping Atlanta can win it all so they can avoid having to pay ‘Mattress Mack’ the $20 million.
“Obviously the Astros would be the worst-case scenario,” Caesars vice president Craig Mucklow said in an interview after the massive bet was made on the Astros to win the World Series. “This is the first time I’ve seen something like this wager in the futures market. It’s an exciting bet to take, but it would be nice if they got knocked out early.”
Unfortunately for Caesars, Houston wasn’t knocked out early. First, the team took down the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS. Then after that, they followed things up in the ALCS going up against the Boston Red Sox. While Boston got off to a hot start, Houston was able to bounce back and win the pennant. Now, Houston is closing in on the World Series title as well.
New game, new opportunity.#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/lzGaJEKnIX
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 27, 2021
Folks in Texas angry over sports betting still not legalized
All of the attention that ‘Mattress Mack’ is getting over this potential massive win has folks in Texas angry over sports betting still not legalized for fans out there. This just goes to show the millions and millions of dollars that can be exchanged through sports betting. This is an insane amount of money that can be won here. Yet, the team being bet on in the Astros, doesn’t have legal sports wagering in its home state.
The fact that ‘Mattress Mack’ had to use outside resources for this is wild. There are so many other Houston Astros fans out there that would have loved to bet big on the Astros, yet it’s illegal to do so in Texas right now and things aren’t expected to be changed at a rapid pace. The fact of the matter is that illegal sports bets are being made on the Astros and things aren’t even being regulated.
Or, folks are leaving the state to make their wagers. This is simply inexcusable and things in Texas simply must be changed in the near future. Why should fans, who check out the best MLB betting odds and look at different Las Vegas sportsbooks for numbers, then not be able to make their bets when they want in Texas? You’ve got to find a way to change this… that’s the message being sent to local officials.
For sports betting in Texas, the hope was that it would go through this year, but it didn’t pass legislation. Now, it’s looking like things will be tabled until 2023. This is a crushing blow for everyone in favor of things being given the green light in a timely fashion. The fact that it was delayed in 2021 broke hearts out there. Once 2023 arrives, the countless Texas sports betting supporters will be praying things change.
