Maybe the person starting the bet should take up their...

Maybe the person starting the bet should take up their convictions regardless of the others decision. To show exactly how much of a person they are and not how little the other is. That would be the mark of a real person. 

Maybe the mark of a real person is also not to engage with pathetic showmanship. Is it really worth the effort? Does it really make a difference in the great scheme of the cosmos? Zero impact on how VEC conducts business and trades.