For the first time ever, wagers were placed with a sports betting platform from outer space.
What Happened: Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4Payments Inc FOUR, is one of four civilians that is in space aboard the Inspiration4. Isaacman is serving as the mission commander on Inspiration4, the first all-civilian space flight.
On Wednesday, Inspiration4 was launched by SpaceX, the space giant founded by Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk.
The wagers were placed in person at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, owned by MGM Resorts International MGM, by Darren Rovell from the Action Network.
“I was honored to be the one to place the bet for him,” Rovell said.
Two wagers were placed by Isaacman, who communicated the bets to his brother, who then relayed them to Rovell.
“This is a truly historic moment. Thanks to Shift4 Payments for the incredible honor of asking BetMGM to participate,” BetMGM Chief Revenue Officer Matt Prevost said.
Rovell highlighted the connection between space travel and sports betting. In 1964, David Threlfall bet $24 that man would get to the moon prior to Jan. 1, 1971. The bet paid out $24,000 in profit to Threlfall in 1969.
Related Link: Could Spinning Off Online Sports Betting Help Casino Stocks?
About the Bets: Isaacman bet $4,000 on the Thursday Night Football game to go over 40.5 points. The Washington Football Team beat the New York Giants 30 to 29, covering the total points with a fury of late points in the fourth quarter.
Another wager was placed on the Philadelphia Eagle to win the 2022 Super Bowl. A $4,000 bet will pay out a profit of $264,000 if the Eagles are named the NFL champions.
Proceeds from the bets will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. BetMGM, a joint venture from MGM Resorts and Entain, will donate $25,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well.
Donations are encouraged to be made to St. Jude and can be placed here in partnership with the Inspiration4 launch.
Images via BetMGM
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