According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated $16 billion was wagered on Super Bowl LVII, with that number expected to rise year on year.
This may seem like an impossible amount, but the number includes those “who expect to place a bet online, with a bookie, with a casino sportsbook, in a pool or squares contest, or casually with family or friends.” Of course it's impossible to track exactly how much is "casually" bet between friends or unlicensed channels, so the $16 billion figure shouldn't be taken as fact.
In any case, at least $1 billion was expected to be wagered through legal sportsbooks. A large portion of which will come through Las Vegas bookies, who have only lost on the Super Bowl just twice in three decades.
With so much money being wagered on the big game, the question remains - what are the biggest super bowl bets of all time?
Mattress Mack: $4.5 Million on Cincinnati Bengals
Houston furniture store mogul, James Franklin McIngvale - otherwise known as 'Mattress Mack' - has made a huge name for himself in the world of sports betting. You could pick almost any sport in the world and Mattress Mack has probably wagered a few million on it.
This time, Mattress Mack makes the list for placing a $5 million wager on the Cincinnati Bengals to win Super Bowl LVI. At the time, the bet, which would have returned $8.5 million at +170 odds, was the largest bet ever placed on the Super Bowl at a regulated sportsbook in the United States, eclipsing the old record of $4.9 million.
The Gallery Furniture owner wagered nearly $10 million total on a Bengals win for Super Bowl LVI, which would have paid out over $16 million if they emerged victorious. Unfortunately for him, The Los Angeles Rams won by the skin of their teeth in a 23-20 victory.
McIngvale had backed the Bengals long before the big game too He placed a $1.1 million wager on the Bengals to cover a 3.5-point spread in the divisional round versus the Tennessee Titans, and used the winnings to cover a bet he put on the TItans to win the Super Bowl.
Mattress Mack sometimes joins his sports bets with promotions at his furniture stores, often attempting to offset any losses he may incur. For example: while he bet $10 million on the Houston Astros to win the World Series, he ran a promotion that allowed any customer who spent $3,000 or more on a mattress to receive it for free if the Astros won. McIngvale told Forbes he sold $73 million worth of mattresses with the promotion.
With such a long history of enormous bets, this certainly won't be the last time you see the name Mattress Mack on a list like this.
Mattress Mack: $3.46 Million on Super Bowl LV
And he's back already, with the second biggest bet on our list, but this time he won.
During Tom Brady's first year without Bill Belichick by his side, there was plenty of speculation on whether he was still able to get the job done. But Mattress Mack kept his faith in the 6-time Super Bowl champion and backed him as the underdog against the 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
McIngvale laid down a $3.46 million bet on the Bucs at +3.5 and we all know how the story goes. Tom Brady put on a show once again and lifted the Lombardi Trophy for the seventh and final time in his career. The victory rewarded Mattress Mack with an astonishing payday but once again, McIngvale ran a promotion alongside his wager, giving customers who spent more than $3,000 in his stores, all of their money back.
MATTRESS MACK IS BACK
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) February 4, 2021
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale flew into Colorado late last night and wagered 3.46 MILLION on the Bucs +3.5 😳#SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/Zna8dDZ5Av
Mattress Mack could fill almost every place on this list, so to keep some variety, here's a table of all of his biggest bets on the Super Bowl over the last few years.
| Year | Mack’s Pick | Amount Bet | Bet Result |
| 2022 | Cincinnati Bengals | $4.5 Million | Loss |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $3.46 Million | Win |
| 2020 | San Francisco 49ers | $1 Million | Loss |
$2.2 Million on Philadelphia Eagles
An anonymous New York bettor put down $2.2 million on the Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5) against the Kansas City Chiefs with Caesars Sportsbook for Super Bowl LVII.
Our BIGGEST Super Bowl bet yet 🤯#SBLikeACaesar | #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/BXl5fMBYjG
— Caesars Sportsbook And Casino (@CaesarsSports) February 12, 2023
It seems the largest part of the action in the sportsbook was flowing to the Eagles moneyline, meaning a Kansas City win was the best outcome for the bookies.
We need the game to go under and would be better off overall if Kansas City wins it. Chiefs win, (Patrick) Mahomes wins MVP, game is relatively low-scoring, that looks like our best outcome.
Westgate SuperBook director John Murray
Meanwhile, Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito stated that ticket counts favored the Eagles at about 70 percent.
As we all know now, the anonymous bettor lost his $2.2 million and the sportsbooks came out on top. You can never doubt Mahomes...
Drake’s Super Bowl LVII Prop Bets
Drake is one of the most influential pop culture figures in the world, but he's famous for more than just his music. The Canadian rapper has regularly wagered six-figure sums on sporting events for years, and Super Bowl LVII was no different.
He wagered nearly $1 million on the Friday before the game, where most of his action was on the moneyline, but also bet on props.
According to a few of his Instagram posts, he bet on the following:
| Bet Type | Drake’s Wager | Odds |
| Chiefs Moneyline | $700,000 | EVEN (Win) |
| Patrick Mahomes Anytime TD | $50,000 | +400 (Loss) |
| Juju Smith-Schuster Anytime TD | $50,000 | +275 (Loss) |
| Chiefs To Win Both Halves | $50,000 | +450 (Loss) |
| Chiefs To Win Every Quarter | $30,000 | +1300 (Loss) |
| Travis Kelce To Win SB MVP | $25,000 | +1200 (Loss) |
| Any TE Winning SB MVP | $60,000 | +900 (Loss) |
Drake's only win was a $700,000 payout on the Chiefs moneyline with +100 odds but still made a profit of $435,000 after accounting for his losses.
So, there you have it! The biggest Super Bowl bets in history.
I fully expect Mattress Mack to continue breaking records, but perhaps there's a billionaire out there that could smash his most recent $5 million Super Bowl wager...
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(Header Image Credit: Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports)
