The Mack’s faith in the Astros was a massacre.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston, who puts down big money to incentivize customers to spend $4,000 or more at his store with the promise of a refund if the home team wins the championship, made one of his worst wagers ever this past week.
The Post exclusively reported on Tuesday that Mack put down $516,000 on the Astros to win the World Series at “roughly 24/1” on Kalshi this past week (to win $13 million), but Houston completely fell apart, getting swept by the White Sox in the Wild Card round.
That trade lasted just 48 hours.
On Tuesday, Mack said the trade was to cover $4 million in sales, which they had been marketing for the last two months and expected to triple those numbers.
“We already have $4 million in liability on the promotion,” Mack said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “We’re projected around $12 million in liability if they keep going and get on a roll; they’ve done it before, we’re happy to jump on the ride and bring our customers with them.”
The reality is the Astros – and their fanbase – were not even close to a team that would compete with the best in the league, or even middle of the pack.
Houston, 81-81, had the worst record of any playoff team in MLB history.
Mack did not respond to a request for comment on whether or not he was profitable in this endeavor.
Still, the Astros fanbase had serious disdain for the team and the franchise’s overall direction.
If Houston fans, who reportedly left the stadium 20 percent unfilled for the two Wild Card Series games against the White Sox, didn’t buy tickets, the promotion likely wasn’t a big moneymaker as it had been in years past.
Astros players didn’t even enjoy playing in Houston at Daikin Park this week, so it’s unlikely that the fans were chomping at the bit for a shot at some free furniture.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I was pretty pissed off in the dugout when I came in, about the boos,” reliever Bennett Sousa said to reporters after Game 1, citing fans booing them throughout the game. “This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series. We want their support.”
Unless Mack was able to land the plane on $8 million in sales in 48 hours and get some serious support, he’s coming in as a legitimate $516,000 loser in this scenario and well below his stated sales projections.
Historically, Mack has been a big money bettor and lost before, but there’s usually been accompanying sales to justify the expensive betting losses.
In 2019, when the Astros lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Nationals, he lost $10 million on the Astros (wagers that would have paid out $90 million in sales), but he made about $20 million in revenue on that promotion.
Unlike this year, he’s had big sales to accompany the misses.
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When he lost $9.5 million on the Bengals to win the Super Bowl in 2022, the promotion reportedly brought in $20 million in sales, which were roughly up over 250 percent over two weeks.
Earlier that year, Mack lost $6.1 million on the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the College Football National Championship, which he said at the time was “both a hedge and a bet I like.”
Though Mack still claimed after the fact that he made money on that promotion.
It is unclear how he views this promotion, but a 48-hour and out on a trade on the Astros is certainly one of the more expensive 48-hour losses we’ve seen from him.
This would’ve been a $516,000 cheaper endeavor if the Astros didn’t make the playoffs at all, though that’s the life of a sports bettor.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
