美国国家公共电台 NPR--'Mattress Mack' says his bets make furniture buying more interesting

'Mattress¹ Mack' says his bets make furniture buying more interesting

Transcript²

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Jim McIngvale, known as "Mattress Mack," about placing bets on big sporting events to draw publicity³ for his Houston-based business.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

While watching this year's Kentucky Derby, there was a moment that stuck with our colleague Steve Inskeep.

STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE⁴: So there was this live shot from the betting windows. And the reporter said somebody back there was about to place a $1.2 million bet. The guy was Jim McIngvale, and it was said he somehow used the bet to promote his business. He bet on Angel of Empire, which was the favorite, and he lost. So I had to call him.

Mr. McIngvale.

JIM MCINGVALE: What's up?

INSKEEP: Hey. It's Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

MCINGVALE: Hey, Steve. Nice to talk to you.

INSKEEP: You were especially generous to come on (laughter) given that you lost your bet that I want to ask you about.

MCINGVALE: Hey, you know, Steve, you win some. You lose some. And sometimes, you get rained out. You got to get up the next morning, put on your big-girl, big-boy britches, go right back to work.

INSKEEP: (Laughter) All right.

Mr. McIngvale's business is known as mattressmack.com. He's based in Houston. He bets on sporting events all the time. As a promotion⁵, he stages mattress sales, offers customers a chance at a refund⁶ and then places a bet on the favorite as a hedge.

MCINGVALE: We refunded⁷ $76 million after the Astros won the World Series.

INSKEEP: And then, of course, if the favorite loses, as happened in the case of the Kentucky Derby, you lost your $1.2 million, but you got to keep the money for all the mattresses⁸.

MCINGVALE: Correct. That's how it works. Yes, sir.

INSKEEP: Nevertheless, doesn't it hurt just a little bit to lose a $1.2 million bet?

MCINGVALE: It felt like a very swift kick in the gut⁹, but after about a couple of minutes, I got over it and put my chin up, smiles on and went on about my business.

INSKEEP: How did you get into sports betting?

MCINGVALE: I went to a Catholic elementary school, junior high and high school. And they used to have bazaars¹⁰ and raffles¹¹ all the time. So I'm still a very devout¹² practicing Catholic. I blame the church on getting me to gambling¹³.

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

MCINGVALE: Then I had done numerous Super Bowls, World Series, those type of things. It's all about making furniture-buying more interesting for the customers. So it's a win-win for the community and a win-win for us.

INSKEEP: Do you ever bet when there's not furniture at stake?

MCINGVALE: Very rarely. I have a, should I say, compulsive personality. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's for promotional purposes.

INSKEEP: I want to clarify what you - you said a compulsive personality. Gambling, of course, can be addictive¹⁴ for a lot of people. You're saying you want to be careful with your gambling?

MCINGVALE: Yep. And I'm a compulsive worker. I work about 14 hours a day, seven days a week. So I know who I am, and I've been able to watch it. Gambling is fun. It's a great pastime for millions of Americans. But as you said, it certainly can be compulsive.

INSKEEP: Does gambling teach you anything about life?

MCINGVALE: Resilience. Resilience. Resilience.

INSKEEP: Oh, meaning because you have to be ready to lose a lot.

MCINGVALE: I firmly believe in my heart that a setback¹⁵ is just a setup for a comeback.

INSKEEP: So you're doing these bets, to underline, as a promotion rather than to make a living or anything like that. But nevertheless, you're sitting there trying to pick a horse. What advice would you give to anybody else who's trying to pick a winning horse?

MCINGVALE: Pick one that's kind of a long shot, 5-10 to 1, 'cause you get a bigger return on investment. And pick a horse race where there's eight or 10 or 12 horses in the race. You - the odds¹⁶ are much better there. And if you see a horse that reminds you of your best friend's name or your favorite colors, bet on it 'cause you'll probably win.

INSKEEP: (Laughter). You don't do any of that. You pick the favorite. You're telling people, don't bet like I bet.

MCINGVALE: Well, I had to pick the favorite because otherwise, the customers would be upset...

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

MCINGVALE: ...If I picked the horse wearing red silks, and he was 5 to 1.

INSKEEP: Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, thanks so much.

MCINGVALE: Great to be on the show. Y'all have a great day. Thank you.

1 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

6 refund   

v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款

参考例句：

• They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
• We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。

7 refunded   

v.归还，退还( refund的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Postage costs will be refunded (to you). 邮费将退还（给你）。 来自辞典例句
• Yes, it will be refunded to you at the expiration of the lease. 是的，租约期满时，押金退回。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

8 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

9 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

10 bazaars   

（东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场

参考例句：

• When the sky chooses, glory can rain into the Chandrapore bazaars. 如果天公有意，昌德拉卜的集市也会大放光彩。
• He visited the shops and bazaars. 他视察起各色铺子和市场来。

11 raffles   

n.抽彩售物( raffle的名词复数 )v.以抽彩方式售（物）( raffle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Elsa and I will buzz on to the Raffles bar. 埃尔莎和我继续往前去，到拉福尔旅馆的酒巴。 来自辞典例句
• Tudsbury rushed to the Raffles and dictated this hot story to Pamela. 塔茨伯利冲到拉福尔旅馆，对帕米拉口述了这个最新消息。 来自辞典例句

12 devout   

adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness)

参考例句：

• His devout Catholicism appeals to ordinary people.他对天主教的虔诚信仰感染了普通民众。
• The devout man prayed daily.那位虔诚的男士每天都祈祷。

13 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

14 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

15 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

16 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？