Casino Chips are Today's Entertainment Tickets

In today's modern casinos, hard currency is never used for gaming table betting. What are used in place of money are casino chips, or tokens, which are circular flat pieces of clay about 39 millimeters in diameter. In reality, these are not made of pure clay, but a compression molded composite of clay and a synthetic binding material that gives it strength and durability to withstand the extreme wear and tear of casino handling. The exact composition of casino clay chips is shrouded in secrecy to discourage the counterfeiting of these tokens. The precaution is not without good reason because these tokens are as good as cash inside the casino.

When you enter a casino with the intention of playing in table games, like for instance, poker or blackjack, you have to go to the casino cage cashier to change your cash bankroll into casino chips broken down into the denominations that you prefer. These are color coded depending on the denomination of the chips, which range from one dollar up to as high as 5,000 dollars for high stakes gambling. There are many reasons why these tokens are used in casino table games. Unlike paper money, casino chips are easier to count because they can be neatly stacked and counted by the dealer, reducing the possibility that a customer might be incorrectly paid his winnings.

Casino chips are unique to the casino that issued it, and whose face value is required by regulation to be backed up with the equivalent amount of cash. Just like money is in the local economy, casino chips are almost legal tender inside the premises of the casino. Just like money and other negotiable instruments such as bank checks, these tokens have security features distinctive to the casino like high resolution artwork, inlay UV markings, color combinations on edge spots and other artwork that are very difficult to counterfeit.

Casino chips are frequently cleaned with a mild detergent and water by casino staff to remove dirt, grime and hand oil resulting from heavy casino handling. Paper money would quickly soil the hands to the dealer, customers and the gaming table if these were used in game betting considering that these transfer from one hand to another while in public circulation. Using casino chips at gaming tables lends an aura of elegance to the act of betting and removes the crass vulgarity of using money on the betting table. In fact, the act of exchanging money for tokens at the casino cage cashier can be likened to buying tickets to watch an entertaining movie, a fact that underscores what casino gaming actually is - entertainment.