“I have a greater chance of finding a unicorn in Garry Point Park than losing this bet.”
Suffice to say, Shane Dagan is brimming with confidence after placing a wager for charity that his old schoolmate Chris Dinnell won’t go the entire year without drinking alcohol.
In fact, Dagan - owner/operator of Steveston Seafood House - has such little faith in realtor Dinnell that, moments after speaking to the Richmond News, he emailed us to say he’s doubling his odds on the $1,000 bet to 2/1, with the loser giving the cash to Wigs for Kids BC.
“He’s a fantastic realtor, but he won’t last the year without having a drink,” laughed Dagan, who said he has spies all over Steveston and Richmond, ready to report if Dinnell slips up.
“We`ve been high school buddies (at Burnett secondary) since 13 or 14 and this is very much out of character for him, very much.”
Dagan said he first heard about Dinnell’s dry 2020 bid at his restaurant, during a fundraiser for Wigs for Kids, a Steveston-based charity which supplies wigs for sick children who’ve lost their hair due to treatment.
“My ears pricked up as soon as I heard about it. I said to him ‘there’s no way you’re not drinking for a year.’ I bet him $100, he then said ‘let’s make it $1,000.’ I said ‘no problem,’” Dagan added.
“He won’t make it to St. Paddy’s Day (March 17).”
Upon hearing of Dagan’s dismissive taunts from the News, Dinnell, who will turn 40 this year, said he’s still super confident of seeing it through.
“I managed (going dry) 30 days on two occasions last year and I saw how much more productive I was,” said Dinnell, adding that he initially challenged himself as he’s “gained quite a bit over the years.”
“I’ve got your typical beer gut, but I’m very confident. I’m down 10 pounds already.”
