In a new 㽶Ƶֱnovelty㽶Ƶֱ 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 , including Surrey Memorial 㽶Ƶֱ .
Out of the gate Thursday (Dec. 20), B.C. Women㽶Ƶֱs Hospital in Vancouver was favoured, with odds of 5/1, followed by SMH at 6/1.
㽶ƵֱThat means there is a 17 and 14 per cent chance, respectively, that 2019㽶Ƶֱs first bundle of joy is born at one of these two Lower Mainland locations,㽶Ƶֱ according to a BCLC release.
㽶ƵֱEast Kootenay Regional Hospital (Cranbrook), St. Joseph㽶Ƶֱs 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㽶Ƶֱs Baby will be born at one of those locations.㽶Ƶֱ
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).
to see the full list.
㽶Ƶֱ RELATED: .
At 6/1 odds, a $10 bet would fetch $60 in winnings.
Bets on the 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 㽶Ƶֱ and it wasn㽶Ƶֱt expected.
The Newton couple㽶Ƶֱs daughter was due to be born on Dec. 24, but a week of waiting brought on a decision for a c-section. 㽶ƵֱI was scared or nervous from the natural (birth), not the c-section,㽶Ƶֱ Nijjar said at the time.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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