One of the largest single wagers in Super Bowl betting history, $3.4 million on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the 3.5-point spread, was placed with DraftKings in Colorado on Wednesday night.
DraftKings said Thursday morning that Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale wagered $3.46 million on the Bucs to cover against the favored Kansas City Chiefs.
“Tampa Bay is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and led by the greatest football player of all time in Tom Brady, so I’m betting big on the Bucs who have overcome tough matchups throughout this postseason,” McIngvale said. “The NFL has only seen eight instances of back-to-back champions and none in the past 16 years, so I like my chances going into Super Bowl LV for this trend to continue. DraftKings has been amazing; providing a safe, legal and fantastic customer experience.”
The 69-year-old McIngvale owns and operates Gallery Furniture.
McIngvale flew into Colorado Springs and placed the wager via DraftKings mobile from the airport, the sportsbook said. He placed a $3.5 million bet on the Houston Astros to win the World Series in 2019.
“Mack has been a great customer and is someone we have history with after taking his sizeable wager on the Astros to win the World Series a couple seasons ago. For Super Bowl LV, Mack is handicapping the game out of pure belief that the Buccaneers can either win or at least cover the spread,” Johnny Avello, director of race and bookmaking at DraftKings said. “We are not strangers to taking significant action, particularly on one of the biggest sports events in the country. Looking at the way we have booked the Super Bowl so far, bettors are laying 3 on the Chiefs and taking the Buccaneers at +3.5 as fans try to get the best possible line.”
FanDuel moved the over-under from 56 to 55 on Wednesday as the Sunday evening forecast turned from sunshine to a 75 percent chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
PointsBet revealed Thursday morning that more than 70 percent of all bets are being placed on the Chiefs.
