# How do Vegas churches handle getting casino chips in collection plates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722 "2005-12-02T14:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/1 "2005-12-02T14:39:31Z")
I recieved the following in an email: > [@](#): > > This came as a surprise to me, since I don’t live in Las Vegas, but I found out that there are more Churches there than casinos. > > Not surprisingly, some worshippers at Sunday services will give casino chips rather than cash, when the basket is passed, which funny enough I DID when I was last out there. Seemed like a reasonable thing to do. > > Well, I learned that since they get chips from so many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings. The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery for sorting and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. This is apparently done by a chip monk. Yea or nay? ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/2 "2005-12-02T14:45:25Z")
Chip monk. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/3 "2005-12-02T15:24:50Z")
> [@hawthorne](#): > > Chip monk. Sheesh. Yeah, it was a cheesy joke. But the question stands as to how area churches handle casino chips as collections… ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/4 "2005-12-02T15:48:10Z")
[hijack] A weary traveller came upon a monastery and asked if he could stay for the night. For dinner he was served fish and chips, and it was the best he had ever tasted. He wanted to compliment the chef, so he went into the kitchen, where he found one of the monks working. “Are you the fish friar?” he asked. “No,” was the reply, “I’m the chip monk.” [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/5 "2005-12-02T18:02:17Z")
I heard this asked somewhere before. The priest or pastor said every once in a while he’d gather up what they collected and go into the casino and cash the chip at the cage window. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/6 "2005-12-02T18:28:59Z")
Yeah, on the factual end of this question, it’s worth noting that most majors casinos in Vegas will accept chips from nearly any other major casino. So there’s really no need for the sorting and separate trips. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Bill\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/7 "2005-12-02T18:48:01Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Yeah, on the factual end of this question, it’s worth noting that most majors casinos in Vegas will accept chips from nearly any other major casino. So there’s really no need for the sorting and separate trips. This may have something to do with the fact that over half the Strip is owned by one company. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/8 "2005-12-03T19:44:22Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Yeah, on the factual end of this question, it’s worth noting that most majors casinos in Vegas will accept chips from nearly any other major casino. So there’s really no need for the sorting and separate trips. I believe this is a factually incorrect statement. Last I was in Vegas, you had to cash out chips from a casino at that casino; they were not “moveable.” “Silver” one dollar tokens were different. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/9 "2005-12-03T19:49:51Z")
I haven’t been to Vegas. But I was reading about it heard that they no longer allow chips to mov. They used to do this back in the old days, to try and make it easy for new customers. I think that now they feel it’s not worth the hassle, since they have plenty and not cashing chips means people have to spend them there. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/10 "2005-12-03T21:29:10Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > I think that now they feel it’s not worth the hassle, since they have plenty and not cashing chips means people have to spend them there. Possibly also because chip forgery was becoming a problem. If the Sands was willing to accept Caesar’s Palace chips, it would be relatively easy to pass off a fake Palace chip on a Sands employee. ---
**Author:** ![tofergregg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tofergregg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofergregg)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/11 "2005-12-03T23:36:23Z")
I was once in Vegas on Easter, and the friend I was with (a guilty Catholic) took me along to Church with her. We were both surprised when, during the offering, the priest said, “We accept cash, checks, and casino chips.” (no VISA/MC/AMEX/Discover, though). On a related topic, I wonder if any churches accept PayPal? -Tofer ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/12 "2005-12-04T00:05:53Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > I haven’t been to Vegas. But I was reading about it heard that they no longer allow chips to mov. They used to do this back in the old days, to try and make it easy for new customers. I think that now they feel it’s not worth the hassle, since they have plenty and not cashing chips means people have to spend them there. According to Barney Vinson’s book “Las Vegas: Behind the Tables” the thing that killed the casinos letting the chips move from hotel to hotel was a scam pulled by chip counterfeiters who purchased thousands of $1 chops from a Reno casino that were identical in coloration and markings to the $25 chip used in a Las Vegas casino. They had new $25 inserts made up and pasted over the $1 inserts that had been there previously. They were caught when one of the inserts wasn’t glued down very well and peeled back during play. Ever since then, chips from one casino aren’t usually accepted at another. ---
**Author:** ![Hombre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@Hombre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hombre)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/13 "2005-12-04T01:50:59Z")
Since I understand you can’t make a move undetected in a casino, I’m guessing that when you buy a chip it is yours to do with what you want? Like leaving with it? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/14 "2005-12-04T01:56:34Z")
Of course you can leave with it. Just don’t expect to “spend” it in another casino. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/15 "2005-12-04T01:57:38Z")
> [@Hombre](#): > > Since I understand you can’t make a move undetected in a casino, I’m guessing that when you buy a chip it is yours to do with what you want? Like leaving with it? I have been told that some high stakes poker players (and presumably other high stakes gamblers) keep large amounts of chips with them - usually in the trunk of their car - so that they won’t have to deal with cashing in and out all the time. It makes sense that a casino would be happy to let you leave with chips. They are worth money in the casino but are worthless out of it. So if you purchase casino chips and never cash them in, the casino gets the cash and is only out of the (small) cost of the chips. So every chip that is purchased but lost is money in the pocket of the casino. Since chips leaving the premesis might not make it back (they can get lost, stolen, kept for souveniers, burned in a fire, ad nauseum) I figure they’d be cool with that. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/16 "2005-12-04T02:11:54Z")
> [@John\_Stamos'\_Left\_Ear](#): > > I have been told that some high stakes poker players (and presumably other high stakes gamblers) keep large amounts of chips with them - usually in the trunk of their car - so that they won’t have to deal with cashing in and out all the time. I would think a casino might look askance at someone bringing a large amount of chips into the casino with them. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/17 "2005-12-04T02:39:44Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > I would think a casino might look askance at someone bringing a large amount of chips into the casino with them. Nonsense. Why would they? The chips are the nominal property of the casino; they represent money the casino has already taken in, and they indicate a person willing to play at the tables, probably buying even more chips while there, etc. When in Vegas, I am usually in the possession of quite a few chips from whatever casinos I’m regularly patronizing. For example, if I stay down near the MGM Grand/New York, New York area, I’ll have chips from the casinos on all for corners, and the Excalibur, and the Luxor as well. Often times it’s simply not worth it waiting to cash out if you are leaving at a busy time. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/18 "2005-12-04T02:47:56Z")
Former LV resident … Chips from one establishment may NOT be used in another. There’s a federal regulation prohibiting the use of alternate currency in this country and accepting chips from another casino would amount to accepting said casino’s homemade currency. The Secret Service doesn’t like homemade currency. There’s a small sign at the door of every casino quoting Federal Statute xyz.123 about use of other company chips. As between two location of the same company, say Hilton Reno & Hilton Vegas, I don’t believe that’s an issue. ---
**Author:** ![tofergregg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tofergregg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofergregg)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/19 "2005-12-04T02:59:16Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There’s a federal regulation prohibiting the use of alternate currency in this country and accepting chips from another casino would amount to accepting said casino’s homemade currency. and > [@LSLGuy](#): > > The Secret Service doesn’t like homemade currency. There’s a small sign at the door of every casino quoting Federal Statute xyz.123 about use of other company chips. I don’t believe there is such a law. Actually, I think [Cecil agrees with me.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_330.html) I don’t doubt there is a sign that says you can’t use chips from another casino, and it may reference a law of some sort, but I don’t think it is a law forbidding the use of “alternate currency.” -Tofer ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722/20 "2005-12-05T10:06:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Former LV resident … > > Chips from one establishment may NOT be used in another. There’s a federal regulation prohibiting the use of alternate currency in this country and accepting chips from another casino would amount to accepting said casino’s homemade currency. The Secret Service doesn’t like homemade currency. Really? Somebody ought to tell the grocery industry, what with all their ‘coupons’, produced by hundreds of food companies, and accepted at thousands of grocery stores (which then exchange them for cash). I agree with the previous posters; I don’t think LSLGuy is correct here. Can anybody cite this supposed law? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-vegas-churches-handle-getting-casino-chips-in-collection-plates/333722.md?page=2)