Not even U.S. sports' biggest game is immune to economic market forces. This year's "handle" (amount wagered) in Nevada sports books for the Super Bowl was $81.5 million, down 11.5 percent from last year and the lowest since 2004. But it wasn't a bad thing for the books, which rebounded from a loss in last year's game (one of only two times the casinos lost money) to win a healthy $6.7 million, or 8.2 percent of the handle. The books won by virtue of the Steelers failing to cover the 6.5-point spread, as Pittsburgh won 27-23. Winnings from the multitude of "proposition" bets also contributed.

NO OT: Speaking of propositions, a recent column pointed out that there has never been an overtime in a Super Bowl. The end of that streak was as close as it has ever been, until Pittsburgh scored a touchdown in the last 35 seconds, saving the no-OT bettors big money (read about another prop in the Q&A).

FOLIES CLOSING: The Tropicana's iconic Folies Bergère will close after its March 28 performance, less than a year away from its 50th anniversary (it opened on Christmas Eve 1959). The producers say it's the longest-running show in the United States.

Q. There was a Super Bowl proposition on how long it would take for Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem. How did that turn out?

A: This is the second straight year that this prop was available, though only at online sports betting sites. The time at most sites was 2:04 and the anthem came in at 2:10, so the over backers got the money.

For information about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and deals, see www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.