In a new “novelty” wager, British Columbians can place a bet on where they think the first baby of 2019 will be born.
Twenty-four hospitals across the province are listed as betting options on the PlayNow.com website, including Surrey Memorial – the place where B.C.’s first baby of 2018 was born.
Out of the gate Thursday (Dec. 20), B.C. Women’s Hospital in Vancouver was favoured, with odds of 5/1, followed by SMH at 6/1.
“That means there is a 17 and 14 per cent chance, respectively, that 2019’s first bundle of joy is born at one of these two Lower Mainland locations,” according to a BCLC release.
“East Kootenay Regional Hospital (Cranbrook), St. Joseph’s General Hospital (Comox), Penticton Regional Hospital and Cowichan District Hospital have the worst odds of 51/1, meaning there is a less than two per cent chance that the New Year’s Baby will be born at one of those locations.”
In the Lower Mainland, other hospitals on the list include Peace Arch (given 36/1 odds), Langley Memorial (21/1), Abbotsford (10/1), Chilliwack (41/1), Ridge Meadows (41/1), Burnaby (21/1) and Lions Gate (21/1).
CLICK HERE to see the full list.
• RELATED: B.C.’s first baby of 2016 born at Surrey Memorial.
At 6/1 odds, a $10 bet would fetch $60 in winnings.
Bets on the “First Baby Born of 2019 in BC” can be placed until 9 a.m. on Dec. 29.
At Surrey Memorial last Jan. 1, the first baby born in B.C. was welcomed to the world just nine seconds after midnight.
While most the province was ringing in the New Year, Manpreet Kaur Nijjar and Hardip Singh Shergill were saying hello to their first child at the hospital – and it wasn’t expected.
The Newton couple’s daughter was due to be born on Dec. 24, but a week of waiting brought on a decision for a c-section. “I was scared or nervous from the natural (birth), not the c-section,” Nijjar said at the time.
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