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During the kiddush after Shacharis in shul this past Shabbos after being comfortably inebriated [but not like Lot] I made a bet on the Kansas City Chiefs that they would win the Super Bowl by a large margin, and stated that if they do not win then I will donate $1000 to the Shul, and if they lose by more than a 20 point margin then I will give $5000 to the Shul. As you can imagine, I was quite anxious watching the game on Sunday not knowing if I would have to make good on my bet, and I guess God had mercy on me but they only lost by 18 points thanks to some last-minute scores. Do I have to pay the $1000 that I pledged?
Yes. Although betting is forbidden, and we don’t require the loser to pay up if he lost unless a Kinyan was made, or the money was already given to a third party, nonetheless, in your case you must pay up as you pledged the losing amount to charity. While you may perform Hataras Nedarim to escape payment, I would recommend you not to do so and instead to pay up your pledge.
See
I had an argument with a colleague regarding a certain Halachic matter that I thought was written in a Sefer which we both did not have available to look at the time, and we both agreed that whoever is wrong will pay $100 to the other party. In the end, I was wrong. Must I pay?
No, as no Kinyan was made, and the money was not given to a third party, and it is a bet regarding a fact on paper, by which we rule that even if a Kinyan was made you do not have to pay up.
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