Cape Bretoner cashes in: Bet paid out almost 30 years after it was made
In the fall of 1994, two junior high school friends in Sydney made a bet on their favourite football teams.
"I said, 'Patrick, the Dolphins are going to win a Super Bowl before the Bengals even win a playoff game,’” explained Mavs Gillis, a Miami Dolphins fan.
When the wager was made outside the cafeteria at what was then Malcolm Munroe Memorial Junior High, neither Gillis nor Patrick McNeil – a Cincinnati Bengals fan - would have guessed it would take nearly three decades for one of those conditions to be met.
The two friends, who were 12 when the bet was made, are now both approaching their 40th birthdays. As the years went on, the pair says the bet became legendary.
"Someone would come up to me and say 'Ah, your bet's going on for another year because both the Bengals and the Dolphins are terrible,’” Gillis said with a laugh.
"I think somebody put it best on Facebook, congratulating both of us for the fact that we remembered a bet that we made in junior high,” McNeil added.
More than 27 years later, the bet was finally put to rest when the Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders in an AFC wild card game Saturday.
"When the Raiders were picked off on the goal line, I just kind of sat there in a bit of shock and kept saying 'It's over. It's over,’” Gillis said.
Currently, both men have careers in sports broadcasting. The two plan to go back to where the wager was made as young sports fans so that Gillis can pay up.
"And it's only for five dollars,” said Gillis.
“We didn't even adjust for inflation,” joked McNeil.
Adjusting for inflation, that $5 bet in 1994 would work out to $9.41 today.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Russia reports downing 5 Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation
Russian air defences downed what authorities described as five Ukrainian balloons overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday, as the sides kept up long-range strikes that have featured heavily in what has largely become a war of attrition.