As expected, this year’s Super Bowl set a new record for betting handle, with Nevada’s 198 sports books taking in $158.6 million in wagers, a 14.5 percent increase over last year’s record.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ 41-33 win over the New England Patriots meant the Eagles and “over” (total points scored) bettors got the money.

The sports books came out barely ahead, winning $1.2 million, which was just .7 percent of the total amount bet — the lowest profit margin since 2011. The house doesn’t always win, but it usually does — this was the 26th time in 28 years that the casinos have won on the Super Bowl.

Year of the Dog

The Year of the Dog in the Chinese calendar is the theme of the new display at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The display features lanterns, I-Ching coins, good-luck fountains, 22,000 flowers and an 18-foot Siberian Husky.

The Venetian atrium displays a 14-foot-tall Chinese Shar-Pei named Vincenzo Li, and more than a dozen Shar-Peis are positioned around the resort. The Wynn has three 9-foot-tall dogs on display, along with a 45-foot-long dragon. The displays are free to view and will be up at least through the end of the month.

Hiking fees raised

The fee to enter Red Rock Canyon’s 13-mile scenic drive has more than doubled. The cost per car is now $15, up from $7. Motorcyclists pay $10, up from $3, and pedestrians must shell out $5, also up from $3. The increases for the Bureau of Land Management’s showcase National Conservation Area 20 miles west of the strip are the first since 2011.

Question: Did the unknown bettor win on the Super Bowl?

Answer: You’re referring to a man known only as “Bettor X.” After winning millions by being on the correct side of every baseball World Series game that he bet, Bettor X returned for the Super Bowl and did it again. While reports vary, it appears that most of his wagers backed Philadelphia on the money line, netting him more than $10 million when the Eagles won outright.

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