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Houston Astros’ Fan Makes a Texas-Sized Bet on The 2019 World Series

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They say that everything is bigger in Texas. Well one big-time Houston Astros’ fan is banking heavily on his team. As reported by The Sun Herald, Jim McIngvale just placed a historic sports bet in a Mississippi casino.

Texas businessman “Mattress Mack”, Bets $3.5 Million At Mississippi Casino

Known as “Mattress Mack”, the Texas businessman bet $3.5 million that Houston will win this year’s MLB World Series. This is the biggest single bet in Mississippi since sports betting first became legal. The bet was placed in the sportsbook of the Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville. He walked in and opened a silver case containing the $3.5 million in cash.

The casino’s sportsbook is operated by DraftKings. LuAnn Pappas is the CEO of Scarlet Pearl and her comment was: “It’s the biggest bet in the state of Mississippi. It’s a record since sports betting went live in the state Aug. 1, 2018.”

Mattress Mack was dressed in his bright orange No. 2 Astros jersey. He was also donning a white Astros hat noting the fact they were AL West Division Champions this season. He went on to thank both the Scarlet Pearl and Draft Kings for booking the bet.

He previously made it known that he wanted to bet this amount on his favorite team. He added that, “and no other gaming company sportsbook in the world has come forward to take the wager.”

Scarlet Pearl’s Sportsbook Is Draftkings

The sportsbook at the Scarlet Pearl was the first DraftKings retail venture in the US sports betting market. Both DraftKings and the Scarlet Pearl will cover the $3.5 million bet. Casino owners, Bob and Delores Granier were present when the bet was placed. So was Matt Kalish as the co-founder and COO of DraftKings.

Mr. McIngvale has a chance to more than double his bet to win $7.7 million if Houston wins it all. The total payout by the casino would be $11.2 million counting the original wager. DraftKings had posted betting odds of +200 for the Astros as the favorites to win the MLB title.

Betting On Houston To Win The World Series

The sportsbook posted the following blurb on betting Houston to win it all this season: “When you roll out a starting pitching staff that includes Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke, you’re in pretty decent shape. Add in an offense that leads the league in WAR, and you’d be foolish to bet against them.”

The 68-year old Texas businessman is anything but foolish. He has built a thriving network of Gallery Furniture stores in the Houston area. He has also gained a reputation for staging a few outlandish promotions over the years. His quote on the bet added: “All of us in Houston believe in the Astros. If the Astros win a lot of customers will get free mattresses.”

A current promotion tied to the bet is refunds of more than $3,000 on recent mattress purchases. A report on this offer originally was posted in the Houston Chronicle. The last time Houston won the World Series was just two years ago in 2017. McIngvale mentioned that the same mattress promotion cost him close to $10 million. He is expecting that figure to climb based on sales if Houston wins again.

• Source: Mississippi Coast casino is taking a $3.5 million bet on World Series from ‘Mattress Mack’ From Sunherald.com On October 1, 2019.

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Mississippi Gaming Commission Comes Under Fire From Casino Operators

mississippi gaming commission

The Mississippi casino industry all across the country remains in a state of flux. New markets are opening for both land-based and online casinos. New states are joining the industry while others expand current offerings. The new football season has opened the doors to expanded legal sports betting in progressive gambling states.

Why Does The Mississippi Gaming Commission Come Under Fire From Casino Operators?

Mississippi has always been a pioneer in the US real money gambling industry. Land-based casino gambling has been legal in the Gulf region and Tunica for more than 25 years. There has always been a good working relationship between operators and the state’s gambling commission. However, that may be about to change.

Relayed in a post on Mississippi Gaming Commission, state casino operators have raised questions concerning the state’s governing body. The current issues go back to 2015 when Gulfport attorney Al Hopkins became chairman of the Gaming Commission. Things recently came to a head when it came to the matter of two new casino license requests.

Larry Gregory was the former executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission. He is now the executive director of the Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association. He wrote a letterto the Gaming Commission that spelled out “serious concerns” about the regulation of the state’s 26 casinos under Hopkins’ direction.

The six-page letter was sent to state Rep. Casey Eure, a Republican from Biloxi. Eure is currently the chairman of the House Gaming Committee. Gregory stated that the casino industry is “…concerned as it has watched the commission dedicate an extraordinary amount of its resources to assist RW and DH.”

Were RW Development and Diamondhead Real Estate Turned Down For Casio Sites?

This refers to RW Development and Diamondhead Real Estate. Both entities were turned down for casino site approvals by previous Gaming Commissions. RW’s plans were first rejected in 2008 for a new site in Biloxi. The reasoning was the lack of control of the property to the water’s edge. DH’s request was denied in 2014. The property in this situation was described as “thousands of feet from the Bay of St. Louis.” Neither company appealed those decisions, so under state law they became final.

Gregory added that:

“The law is clear that once the time for an appeal expires, the decisions become final and cannot be reconsidered.”

The current Gaming Commission gave both companies a chance to file again for approval. Special hearings took place in 2017. At that time, Allen Godfrey acting as the new executive director recommended that both requests be denied. The commission filed suit with a 3-0 vote to accept this recommendation.

RW filed a third application in June of 2017 and the commission allowed it to go forward. Gregory stated in his letter:

“Chairman Hopkins announced that he was not allowing the executive director to make a recommendation on the RW III application for site approval. Stating that none was required under his view of the law.”

The letter added that this decision goes against the process followed by the commission for the past 25 years. At this time the entire matter has gone to a circuit court for a further ruling.

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