The folks on the Strip expect betting on Super Bowl XLII to break the $100-million mark for the first time. That’s what happens when you match the dynastic New England Patriots with one of the most venerated sporting institutions in the Big Apple, the New York Giants.

But will that interest translate to a record television audience? Highly unlikely. Four Super Bowls populate the Top 10 Nielsen ratings of all-time, led by Super Bowl XVI (49ers-Bengals) with 49.1 percent of households tuning in. But network TV has given way to a multi-channel universe; the last Super Bowl to crack the Top 10 was Super Bowl XX (Bears-Patriots) in 1986.

Last year’s Colts-Bears game remains the highest-rated TV show since 2000 at 42 percent. But these numbers are just for U.S. television audiences; the NFL is hoping that the international growth of the league will indeed make Sunday’s game the most-watched show ever.

Recession? What recession? Judging by the early buzz on the Strip, this year will see Super Bowl betting in Nevada top the $100-million mark, shattering the record $94.5 million wagered two years ago on the Pittsburgh Steelers-Seattle Seahawks matchup.

Super Bowl XLII has a lot more box-office potential. The New England Patriots might be the best NFL team ever assembled – no fear of hyperbole with that statement. They’re also public darlings; New York Giants supporters might not have the same warm and fuzzy relationship with their team, but the Big Apple is still the biggest single football market there is. Relatively few people outside the Pacific Northwest cared about Seattle’s maiden voyage to the big game.

The early swing in the pointspread from –12 to –11 should bring in even more loot as we get closer to the Feb. 3 kickoff. You can just picture all those would-be Pats supporters with deep pockets, biding their time.

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Some think that it must be human nature to love of the thrill and surprise sparked when spinning symbols on a flashing slot machine suddenly all line up and are accompanied by the electronic tunes and the clunking of coins when a jackpot is won.

Understanding that odd delight is the main focus of a new research laboratory at the University of Guelph. It will be designed to simulate the flashy, noisy casino environment. This will be the province of Ontario’s first comprehensive gambling behavior research lab.

“Since the casinos wouldn’t let us inside to do our research there, we had to build this” said the professor in the university’s Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, Karen Finlay.

“The slot machines are completely random and yet people think they can influence the outcome. People say they will never play on a machine that someone has just won on, convinced that it won’t pay out again,” Dr. Finlay said.

There is a method to the seeming madness of flashing lights, discordant jingles and bizarre themes, she said.

“It’s a real problem with slot machines. They call them the crack cocaine of gambling. They are monotonous and people zone right out. They drift into a trancelike state while spending more and more money. They tend to play with more money than they planned and spend more time than they planned.”

The hope for the research conducted here is to figure out how to change the way the people behave in casinos. The research from this study will also be beneficial to counselors working with problem gamblers.

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It takes a lot of hard work to be a celebrity – why else would these people be celebrated in the first place? Talent only takes you so far. Handicappers should think like celebrities. Here are my top 10 current and potential entertainment bets for 2008 to get you in the mood.

Julie Christie to win Golden Globe for Best Peformance by an Actress – Drama
Nadia Comaneci (13-1) to win Celebrity The Apprentice
Cameron Diaz to get engaged
Daniel Day-Lewis to win Oscar for Best Actor
Kanye West’s Graduation (1-3) to win Grammy for Album of the Year
Paul McCartney’s Dance Tonight (9-2) to win Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to adopt another child
Lindsay Lohan to get pregnant
Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian to rule box office
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s first child to be born in April