My question pertains to a bet I made at Binion's a couple of months ago. I placed a $100 futures "win" bet on Shared Belief in the Kentucky Derby at 8-1 odds. In the interim, I’ve learned that the horse will not run and I wonder about the status of my ticket. I know that if an event like a baseball game is canceled, all bets are returned. But what if a participant (in this case a horse) does not take part? Can I get my money back or am I just stuck?

I'll be coming to Vegas in May and I like to perform stand-up at open mic nights. Are you aware of any bars/clubs/etc. that hold open mic nights, specifically for comedy and not music or poetry?

Now that all the brouhaha has settled down, how is Britney Spears' show at Planet Hollywood doing? Is it making the money that they hoped?

In Part II of our "Camel Trilogy," to be concluded on Sunday (after Saturday's Poll Results), we tackle the recently received query: "What became of the infamous talking camels from the Luxor-Mandalay Bay shopping-bridge walkway? They were hilarious!"

Camels: The Trilogy (Part I). We have, seemingly coincidentally, received a number of camel-related Questions of the Day lately, so we've decided to string together a camel train, so to speak, commencing with an updated re-run of an interesting QoD about live ones that first ran back in August, 2007. Stay tuned for more tales of even-toed ungulates in coming days!

I know Ellis Island and its "off-the-menu" steak diner have been a mainstay of your values list for a long time. But as a former local, I think I remember something else: Prior to 2001 (when I was living in Las Vegas) neighbors (who worked at various casinos) told me that from midnight to 8 a.m. any casino worker could drink for free at Ellis Island. I'm curious: Am I right about this? Does it still exist and does any other place make this offer?

Re: your recent news item, I didn't even know there was an Elvis exhibit downtown (never saw an ad.) Now it's leaving... Besides Trent Carlini and "Fat Elvis" (he's great), plus a guest spot in Legends at Flamingo, where's Elvis? When we started coming to Vegas in 2000 or so, he was everywhere. As the casino lounges disappeared in favor of trendy "clubs," so did he!

I see that quite a few hotels are hiring for pool season. Any idea when it starts? I have a trip planned at the end of March and am hoping to hit the pool.

Do you have an update as to activities for Chinese New Year?

I believe that the deadline for a decision on the NFR is about to arrive. Is there any word on the final outcome?