It is Grey Cup Weekend in Canada, with fans eagerly filing into Toronto for the 100th Grey Cup game. People have been spotted wearing jerseys and colours of the home team, but there have been several showings of support for the visiting team and the entire CFL itself. The game has led to several wagers placed on the outcome, including from individuals and organizations most Canadians wouldn’t expect to see gambling.
Bookmakers and casinos across the country are taking bets in favour of the Calgary Stampeders or the Toronto Argonauts, and the game is expected to have lots of money wagered. However, the more interesting bets may be those made by political figures in the two competing cities.
Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty have a bet on the game with each premier supporting the home team of their respective provinces. However, instead of money, the bet involves charitable donations. The province that loses the game is required to donate 100 warm clothing items to a charity chosen by the province that wins the game. As winter settles upon much of Canada, any donations to help charities supply warm clothing are greatly appreciated.
Like the premiers, the mayors of Calgary and Toronto have a similar bet on the game’s outcome. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford have gambled that the losing mayor will be forced to wear the jersey that represents the winning mayor for a day. In addition, the losing mayor must fly to the winning mayor’s city wearing the jersey in order to make a donation to the winning city’s food bank. In a nod to the fact that both mayors are larger men, they have agreed to donate their weight in food to the food bank.
Even more interesting, the CEOs of the two city’s respective zoos have also put wagers on the game’s outcome. Calgary Zoo CEO Clement Lanthier must scrub down the zoo’s penguin exhibit if the Stampeders lose, while Toronto Zoo CEO John Tracogna must clean the zoo’s giraffe house if the Argonauts lose.
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