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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.