Cincinnati Bengals: 'Mattress Mack' Breaks Legal Sports-Betting Record with $5 Million Wager

• The single-largest legal sports bet ever was made by Jim McIngvale, better known as “Mattress Mack,” who wagered $5 million on the Cincinnati Bengals.
• In 2002, a $4.9 million bet on the Super Bowl set a new record.
• Last week, McIngvale, the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, drove across the Texas border into Louisiana to place a $4.5 million bet on the Bengals. If the team wins, he will receive $16.2 million.

In 2002, the previous record for the largest legal sports bet was set at $4.9 million on the Super Bowl, but Jim McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack,” broke that record in 2021 with a $5 million wager on the Cincinnati Bengals.

A single money-line bet was placed on the Sportsbook app in Louisiana, where mobile sports gambling became available on January 28.

Last week, McIngvale, the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, drove across the Texas border into Louisiana to place a $4.5 million bet on the Bengals. If the Cincinnati team wins, he will receive $16.2 million.

McIngvale is renowned for placing multimillion-dollar wagers on major sporting events. Last year, he lost a $3.25 million bet on the Houston Astros in the World Series, and in January, he suffered a $6 million loss when Alabama failed to win the college football championship.

In an interview with CNBC, Mack revealed that he uses sports betting as a form of insurance to protect his sales promotions, which aim to attract customers to his Houston-based furniture stores. The current promotion guarantees a refund of over $3,000 if the Bengals win the Super Bowl.