Mattress Mack Doesn’t Plan To Make Super Bowl Bet

James Bisson - Head of Content, Betting
James Bisson • Head of Content, Betting 16+ years betting experience
Updated: Feb 8, 2024 , 11:06 AM ET • 4 min read

Big money bettor planned to put $2 million on Chiefs ahead of AFC title game, but talked himself out of it last minute 'like an idiot.'

Mattress Mack
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, the owner of a furniture business in Houston, Texas, has become synonymous with placing seven-figure wagers on big professional sporting events, including the Super Bowl. However, as of right now, McIngvale has not placed a bet on Super Bowl 58.

The 72-year-old missed an opportunity to place a bet on Kansas City to win Super Bowl 58 in futures markets at +420 odds prior to their road win as underdogs against Baltimore during the AFC Championship game.

“I was going to bet $2 million on KC +420 to win it all. Then, like an idiot, I talked myself out of it at the last minute,” Mattress Mack said to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Red Carpet encounter

McIngvale saw Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the 2023 Kentucky Derby horse racing event at Churchill Downs. He told the reigning Super Bowl MVP that Mahomes cost him millions betting against him and the Chiefs during their Super Bowl 57 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Mahomes apologized and advised McIngvale to be on his side during their next Super Bowl appearance. 

McIngvale has already gone on record stating that he doesn’t like the betting lines ahead of Super Bowl 58 between San Francisco and Kansas City.

“The point spread’s too short for me. I’m gonna sit this one out because I can’t lay 100 to win 100,” he said.

McIngvale did say that he favors the Chiefs to win over the 49ers, referencing his previous betting losses that went against Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl MVP. 

“I’ve got to go with the Chiefs all the way because of the quarterback”, McIngvale told reporters. 

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Mattress Mack hits and misses

The Houston furniture store owner has made a name for himself in the sports betting industry based on the size of his wagers, which he’s done to counter the promotional offers he provides to customers at various Gallery Furniture store locations. 

McIngvale won a staggering $72.6 million on his hometown Houston Astros capturing the 2022 World Series. However, there have been plenty of misses and bad beats along the way. 

During Super Bowl 56 between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams, McIngvale lost $9.5 million wagering the Bengals moneyline odds. During the 2023 AFC Divisional Round matchup a few weeks ago, he placed $500,000 in total bets on the Houston Texans against the Baltimore Ravens.

Then there’s the ongoing money pit he’s dug by betting against Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs during their dynastic run. Starting in 2020, McIngvale lost a sum of $3 million betting against Kansas City. The Texans lost a 24-0 lead in the AFC Divisional Round, the Tennessee Titans blew a 10-point lead during the AFC Championship game, and the 49ers also surrendered a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to Mahomes in Super Bowl 54.

In 2022, the Chiefs continued to bury McIngvale by beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship game, ruining the $750,000 wager he placed on the Bengals at +1200 odds to win Super Bowl 57 in the NFL futures market. 

Current line movement

Westgate Superbook vice president of risk Jeff Sherman has alluded to sharps being on the 49ers during early numbers, so the Las Vegas sportsbook moved the point spread to San Francisco -2.5 to attract money on the Chiefs.

"Everybody is at 2 and we just wanted to see if putting it out there at 2.5 might attract some Chiefs money at this point," Sherman said.

The market is “a little tilted on the Chiefs at +2.5 but nothing overwhelming,” according to Sherman, who added that he’d be surprised if the point spread ballooned up to Chiefs +3.

Kansas City has won back-to-back road playoff games as underdogs against Buffalo and Baltimore, while entering Super Bowl 58 with a 3-0 record against the 49ers in their last three head-to-head matchups, including Super Bowl 54. 

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James Bisson
Head of Content, Betting

James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief at Covers. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.

His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles, and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles.

A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His biggest professional highlight: Covering Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil – and interviewing Bret Hart. Twice.

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