Don't Want to Bet on the Super Bowl? Bet on Jennifer

A near miss gives that winning feeling, study finds

(NEWSER) - Scientists have unlocked a key to obsessive gambling—the lure of the near miss. In search of the reason gamblers keep playing even after strings of horrible losses, Cambridge University researchers examined the brains of gamblers. They found that a near miss—putting a bet on a horse that finished second, for example—stimulates areas of the brain nearly identical to those that respond to winning. More»

From Kim Kardashian's booty to Pete Townshend's moves

(NEWSER) - The Super Bowl is about a lot more than just football, beer, and funny commercials—it also offers a chance to make some of the weirdest prop bets ever. Sam Greenspan lists 11 especially crazy ones—all of which he bet on—on 11 Points :

• National anthem: How long will it take Carrie Underwood to sing? The over/under is 1:42.
• Superdome: How many times will announcers mention Hurricane Katrina between kickoff and the final whistle? The fine print: Only the exact phrase "Hurricane Katrina" counts.

Dodger-loving reporter donates to charity rather than shaving

(NEWSER) - Chuck Todd isn’t shaving off his goatee, despite having lost a baseball bet to Jake Tapper. The NBC talking head has taken the coward’s way out and will donate to charity instead. Todd was supposed to shed his trademark goatee if the Dodgers lost the NLCS; had they won, his ABC rival would have had to grow some facial hair. But they had an escape clause: Either could opt out and donate $1,000 to charity. Todd will go the extra mile, donating $2,000 to two charities. More»

Desperate times require desperate solutions, some say

(NEWSER) - With newspapers sinking deeper into trouble by the day, Maureen Dowd explores the idea of saving the day with a little vice. Specifically, allowing papers to rake in money by setting up online sports betting on their websites. Dowd herself isn't pushing it, but she has fun kicking it around in her New York Times column. “People are spending money on what is basically a social vice anyhow,” Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman tells her. “So why not use it to preserve the First Amendment? It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a solution.” More»

Invite us when we don't win, says Harrison, who declined in '06, too

(NEWSER) - Linebacker James Harrison, the NFL defensive player of the year and a key cog in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl victory this year, won’t accompany his team to the White House this week, WTAE-TV reports. Harrison also turned down the honor when Pittsburgh won in 2006. “If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Harrison said, “invite us when we don’t win the Super Bowl.” More»