Legendary Gambler ‘Mattress Mack’ Tells CNN His Record $75 Million Payoff on World Series Bet is About ‘Making the City Happy’

Jim McIngvale, the Houston furniture proprietor better known as “Mattress Mack,” made history Saturday night when the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series and McIngvale scored a record-setting $75 million bet. He chatted with CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield about his mind-boggling win on Sunday and was his typical enthusiastic self.

McIngvale, 71, was able to rake in his historic win by making a total of $10 million in bets with several different sportsbooks early in the season, when the odds were against the Astros. According to the Houston Chronicle, the $30 million payout that the Caesars Sportsbook app now owes McIngvale after he placed a $3 million bet with 10-to-1 odds is the “largest ever through a legal sportsbook in the United States.” He also placed big bets with Barstool Sportsbook and Wynn Sportsbook, reported the New York Post.

Caesars didn’t seem too upset about having to send the mattress mogul $30 million. “Would we do it all again? You bet,” the company COO Ken Fuchs told the Chronicle about writing that check to McIngvale, highlighting the positive PR Caesars had gained teaming up with Mattress Mack to provide mattresses to military members and first responders in Houston, Philadelphia, and Atlantic City.

McIngvale made headlines before the World Series was even over with a viral video of him shouting F-bombs at Phillies fans heckling him after Philadelphia defeated the Astros in Game 3.

Game 4 went a lot better for the Astros, defeating the Phillies in a 5-0 no-hitter, and McIngvale again went viral with his “Don’t Mess with Texas!” post-game reaction.

Whitfield began the segment by playing a video clip of McIngvale celebrating after the Astros got their final out to end Game 6 with a 4-1 win. “He was excited there,” said Whitfield in an obvious understatement as she introduced the “Astros superfan” for some cheerful and friendly banter.

“Jim McIngvale is joining us now,” said Whitfield. “Oh my God, I’m going to call you Mattress Mack, because that’s what everyone in the Houston area calls you. So, congratulations, number one.”

“Thank you, Fred. I’ll call you Fred,” he replied with a grin.

Whitfield laughed and replied that was “good” and “great” because “everybody calls me Fred and I love it coming from you.”

She asked what he was thinking at the end of the game, and McIngvale said it was “very exciting,” and mentioned that he had a promotion offering customers who bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress worth at least $3,000 that if the Astros won — and therefore he won his multimillion dollar bets — then they would get their money back.

According to McIngvale, 6,500 customers would be getting their money back in his “Astros Win It All, Get It All” promotion. “$75 million in winnings and almost all of it is going back to our great customers and they’re thrilled,” he said.

Whitfield also asked McIngvale about some of his charitable work — he was widely praised for his actions after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, opening up his store to let people who had lost their homes sleep on the many mattresses and other furniture inside — and what it was like to throw out the first pitch on Saturday.

Throwing out the first pitch was a “huge honor,” he said, and he was “nervous” about bouncing it off the plate but got advice to throw it high and it all went well, “so it was a good experience.”

“But nothing’s more important to me than making the city happy,” said McIngvale, “seeing the Astros win and refunding the $75 million to some delighted customers, it’ll be an experience of a lifetime for our customers.”

“You da bomb!” Whitfield declared. “Mattress Mack, thank you so much, congratulations!”

“Thank you very much, Fred,” he said, adding one last “Go Astros!”

Watch above via CNN.