Mattress Mack Debuts Sports activities Media Web site, To Launch Betting Property
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is wading into the sports activities media trade, and is probably going to make use of that platform to later launch a sports activities wagering content material property.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, seen above. He began a sports activities media web site and is eyeing a betting web site. (Picture: Sports activities Illustrated)
The furnishings magnate, who’s change into in style amongst sportsbook operators due to his penchant for giant wagers that always lose, is rolling out gallerysports.com, named after his Gallery Furnishings chain — Houston’s largest furnishings retailer. Mattress Mack’s media property will cowl Texas and Louisiana sports activities. Not surprisingly, the location might be aimed toward driving prospects to Gallery Furnishings’s three Houston-area shops and its web site.
Not less than three former Houston Chronicle journalists are among the many Gallery Sports activities contributors. McIngvale instructed the newspaper that the location will later be joined by Gallery Gaming, which is able to concentrate on sports activities betting. Like its forefather, the target of the sports activities wagering property might be to direct prospects to Gallery Furnishings.
Content material on Gallery Sports activities is free, indicating the location is taking a special method than an array of established, web-based sports activities media properties. Common content material on the location contains protection of yesterday’s Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans video games, Houston Astros updates, and faculty soccer articles on the Houston Cougars and LSU Tigers.
How Gallery Gaming May Play Out
Within the interview with the Chronicle, McIngvale didn’t point out if there might be subscription plans for Gallery Gaming. Most devoted sports activities betting websites provide a restricted quantity of free content material, aiming to entice readers to pay for picks ultimately.
With the posh of utilizing the location as a sports-related advertising device, McIngvale doesn’t must face the subscription burden and the usually fickle buyer base that comes together with it.
There are, nonetheless, a few certainties that would accompany Gallery Gaming. First, the location could also be well-received in Louisiana, the place sports activities wagering is reside and authorized. Amongst states of comparable dimension, Louisiana is a sports activities wagering chief, and its already excessive bar might be cleared this yr as a result of the state advantages from complete seasons of LSU and the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
Then again, Texas is a extra irritating proposition. Because the second-largest state by inhabitants, Texas is unquestionably alluring for sportsbook operators and staff house owners alike. However, whereas some politicians, together with Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), are on board with regulated sports activities betting, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) isn’t. That’s significant as a result of he’s the state senate president and holds appreciable energy in state politics.
Mattress Mack’s Large Bets
There’s no denying McIngvale’s proclivity for giant bets. Proficiency is one other matter. His wagers, all of that are basically advertising promotions to drive site visitors to his shops, together with a mixed $9.5 million on the Cincinnati Bengals to win final season’s Tremendous Bowl, $2 million on the New England Patriots to win the Tremendous Bowl, and $1 million on the Houston Cougars to win the NCAA males’s basketball title in 2021. All these bets misplaced.
His present promotion is refunding mattress gross sales — on choose manufacturers — of $3,000 or extra if the Houston Astros win the 2022 World Collection. That’s tied to a $2 million wager on the staff to take house baseball’s championship.
That wager may very well be a winner for McIngvale as a result of the Astros have one of the best report within the American League and brief odds of successful all of it. Then again, meaning he’ll be gifting away plenty of good mattresses free of charge.
