B.C. Women’s Hospital is the odds-on favourite among all 23 hospitals in the province for the first baby to be born in 2024.
PlayNow.com is offering bets on which B.C. hospital will welcome the New Year’s first bundle of joy.
Although it hasn’t been the home of the first baby of a new year since 2017, B.C. Women’s is a 3.50:1 favourite.
Abbotsford Regional Hospital, which welcomed the first baby of 2023, is listed at 12:1.
Bettors can also wager on what will be the most popular names for babies in 2024.
For the girls, Olivia (3:1) has been the most popular name in B.C. for seven of the last eight years according to B.C. Vital Statistics, losing only once to Emma (5:1) in 2015.
Other girl names to consider include Charlotte, Isla, and Sophia, all 6:1, which have consistently been in the top seven.
The most popular B.C. boy names over the past few years have been Liam (5:1) and Noah (4:1). Other contenders include Oliver (4:1) and Theodore (8:1).
Wagering on which hospital will welcome the first B.C. baby of 2024 will be available on PlayNow.com until 6:00 a.m. on Dec. 31, and the popular name bets will be available until Jan. 31, 2024.