Super Bowl XLIX, one of the most-watched sporting events of the year, will kick off Sunday but many people already know who will win the game.

And they're willing to bet money on it.

In Montana, betting on the big game is legal, to an extent.

Gambling in the state falls into two categories: Public and private. A public scenario includes betting at a place such as a bar, fraternity or sorority house. In these establishments, lawful betting is known as "sports pools."

Participants pay to write his or her name in a 100-square board, and once all the spaces are sold each box is then assigned a number at random. The winner is decided by a combination of numbers on the board and scores during the game.

In a private setting, such as a home or office, state law allows betting among friends, family and co-workers.

"A couple of friends saying I'll bet you a dollar that the Seahawks will beat the Patriots is not an activity that you can do publicly, but there's nothing wrong with doing it in the privacy of your own home with your friends," said Rick Ask, Montana Gambling Control administrator. "As far as doing something like that in a public manner, that would be a violation of the law and would be subject to our investigation and enforcement and charges being filed."

Ask said that as long as people advertise a betting contest at their home to the community, they should be betting legally.

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Kyle Ploehn is an artist, illustrator and writer living in Billings Montana. He likes to spend the few hours he isn't painting hiking the mountains of Montana.

I’ve always loved Chickadees. They’re happy birds that seem to defy the seasons themselves with their year-round sightings and whistled call. In this three piece series I wanted to convey that steadfastness of a beautiful bird seen rain or shine all year round. The first painting represents the cold months of fall and winter. The second shows the flowering buds of the first spring morning and the third the sun shines bright as summer fades again to fall. I like to think of Chickadees as reflection of the people who choose to live and love 'harder' places like Montana. Despite the chaotic and sometimes downright bipolar weather Montana can get, those chickadees are still singing outside our windows. It hasn't been much clearer than this winter as we jump from feet of snow into spring conditions, never sure if that next gust of wind will bring more sun or snow... But it's comforting to know that regardless of what the weather will do, those Chickadees (and the folks of Montana) are going to be out under that big sky, enjoying it all.The originals are still available, three 6 x 12 for $200.Prints are available. Contact me at [email protected], if you’re interested in purchasing a print or visit my website http://kyleploehnart.blogspot.com

In celebration of the Mining City’s 150th anniversary, the spotlight this week is on 1930 to 1939.

Life doesn’t always imitate art. Case in point — in 1930, the number one song in America was “Happy Days are Here Again.” In reality, for the vast majority of Americans those “happy days” abruptly packed up and left, leaving no forwarding address.

The next decade would test America’s endurance as we slipped into the Great Depression. Just like Murphy’s Law, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong -- from the Dust Bowls of the Midwest to the rising unemployment rates. In 1930, unemployment was at 8.7 percent, but by 1933, it was close to 25 percent.

In Europe, Germany had a new leader, Adolph Hitler, who took command in 1934. During his years of tyranny, the dictator would demonstrate, time and again, man’s inhumanity.

Not all was gloom and doom, though. Soon after his first term began, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt introduced an economic program, the New Deal, and the Civilian Conservation Corps was enacted to put young men to work.

On the humorous side, pilot Wrong Way Douglas Corrigan was headed to the West Coast July 18, 1938. Not sure if it was the luck of the Irish, but Corrigan somehow got sidetracked and landed instead in Dublin, Ireland.

Also in 1938, Orson Welles literally put the fear of God into thousands of Americans listening to the radio on Halloween Eve. Wells was broadcasting his War of the Worlds drama, which included fake news reels of an alien invasion. Listeners thought the attack was real and imminent.

By 1939, it was obvious war was coming. In September, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand had declared war on Germany. The U.S., however, chose to remain neutral.

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