American loses BRL 7.7 million in bet after favorite horse loses race
Jim McIngvale. Foto: Reprodução/Twitter

Traditional gambler Jim McIngvale, better known as Mattress Mack, has suffered a considerable setback recently. That’s because he lost approximately 7.7 million reais on a bet after his favorite horse Epicenter was defeated.

According to information from Istoé, he suffered this loss due to the phenomenal performance of the horse Rich Strike, whose victory would pay 80 times more for every dollar bet. This situation happened in a race held in Kentucky Derby, in the North American city of Louisville.

McIngvale is the owner of a furniture store in Houston, Texas. For him, betting on horse races is a matter of family tradition. So don’t think about stopping trying your luck on the turf.

However, this was not the first defeat suffered by the bettor. In the last year, he recorded a loss of about 12 million reais by putting his money on a horse in the Kentucky race.

But, the gambler also took advantage of a few lucky days. Still in 2021, he placed a bet of 17.5 million reais on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory in the Super Bowl, in the American football league (NFL) decision. To his delight, the team led at the time by Tom Brady won the title.

McIngvale said he often uses the amounts obtained from the bets to balance his business’s finances during times of low sales.

Super Bowl bet was second largest ever made in NFL decision at Caesars

It is worth remembering that McIngvale bet on Super Bowl LVI in the match between Cincinnati Bengals over the Los Angeles Rams, held at SoFi Stadium.

Las Vegas-based betting company Caesars Sportsbook announced that this was the second-largest bet the bookmaker has ever placed on the most important game of the NFL season, surpassed only by one of $4.9 million (in around 25.6 million reais).