I worked in a ER doing security for 6 years. War story nights with friends are the best.
Morals, ethics, legalities or hardcore chip harvesting. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter casinochipper22
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turboj623
Flush
I used to be a shift supervisor for the security department at Alvarado Hospital next to San Diego State University. I'm sure you and I have plenty of interesting ER bed watch stories we could share with each other. We even had a blocked-off floor where the California Department of Corrections would bring prisoners in that needed additional care.
We never had many issues with out inmates that visited. But some of my best ones are out of the ER and Morgue. God... I got paid crap for some wild stuff.I used to be a shift supervisor for the security department at Alvarado Hospital next to San Diego State University. I'm sure you and I have plenty of interesting ER bed watch stories we could share with each other. We even had a blocked-off floor where the California Department of Corrections would bring prisoners in that needed additional care.
I knew I liked you.
turboj623
Flush
I got a great morgue story to share with you. It involved one of my employees who liked to, how can I say this, get "friendly" with the bodies when they came in. What I did to that employee should have got me fired, but nothing ever happened hahaha. The crazy shit that happened in the ER would blow most peoples minds.
turboj623
Flush
Oh and don't start liking me too much. I can be a real jackass at times.
Hopefully you didn't pay him back in kind
So one day I'm pushing a body into the morgue. We had two freezers, I check freezer one. Full. I check freezer two. Full.
I call in and based on our paperwork, a freezer should be open.
So I open the freezer that should be open and there is a huge biohazard bag with a amputated leg in it. From the hip to the foot.
All of this has to be destroyed like everything else appropriately, so my boss tells me and the guy helping to move the leg into a small freezer. This leg had been in there for a while.... It was leg soup.
When I said this to the other guy, he immediately yells "dibs on foot"
Okay... So I get stump. Sweet. I grab my end, we lift up, and as soon as the bag clears the table, the plastic opens up on the foot end and proceeds to pour old leg across his brand new Keds.
I started laughing yelling "KARMA MFER" as he started gagging and trying to dodge the goo pouring down his legs.
And yet, the major casinos do supply certain organizations (like the CCGTCC) with live chips which are available to be sold directly to the public. They even have price guidelines for all denominations (which is basically face value +$2-3 dollars per chip for at least $25 and under denominations).
Yeah, I'm the Virgin Mary around here..... Don't offend me.
turboj623
Flush
Hahahahaha! That's awesome. We had small space as well with only had 4 freezers, and would always run into storage issues. I don't think I will ever forget some of the smells.
Yeah, I purposefully left that vague, because I don't know any specifics. But my understanding is that this is a law in Vegas and/or Nevada that exists to prevent casino chips from being used as currency in the city. So the spirit of that law wouldn't target harvesting or souvenirs, but I'm not sure if the letter of the law would.
turboj623
Flush
I also wanted to throw this out to those that want to harvest chips when in Vegas. The best time to do this is during high-traffic holidays. Casinos anticipate a high volume of traffic during those times and increase the number of chips in play on the floor. It was an important issue because the Nevada Gaming Commission used to require all of the casinos to have equal amounts of cash on hand to match what could potentially be in play. One year, during a labor day weekend we anticipated averaging $80 Million a day in play over the weekend. I think there was a huge fight going on at that time, and we got hammered on that Thursday before and had to increase our cash on hand to $120M that day. It was nerve-racking having to move that much cash into the vault on such short notice. Literally pallets of cash.
turboj623
Flush
The Nevada Gaming Commission has a whole section that covers the use of chips and tokens. I can't remember everything off the top of my head because it's been so long, but I want to say that certain groups can be granted a specific license that allows them to buy and sell live chips from the casino. I may be wrong, but I'm sure it can be found online somewhere. Also, Nevada does not allow chips to be used as legal tender and that aspect is highly regulated to prevent it from happening.
OP
OP
You are basically quoting George Clooney in oceans eleven
turboj623
Flush
It's funny, i thought of that when I typed it. And I laughed when they said it in the movie because it's true. Oh and by Saturday that weekend, they had to have more than $200M in cash on hand. It was unheard of for a labor day weekend. I believe it was in 2004 when that happened there.
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turboj623
Flush
The part that is complete BS is the security features for the vault. But then again , it made it exciting for the movie.
OP
OP
The highlight of my time working as a floor in a poker room was when the drop boxes would fill up and we had to do an emergency drop. I had to escort the guards carrying the boxes all the way into the count room and then sign off on it. The first time I did it, it was like surreal. I was just hearing Robert deniro from casino talking about the soft count room and how sacred it was. Haha. By the third emergency drop it was just an annoyance and waste of time.
turboj623
Flush
I utterly hated doing dropbox runs. It was so time-consuming and you had to make sure everything from signed off correctly. It's funny how you talked about the soft count room. Everyone always wondered how it was, but there was nothing special about it. I remember when one of the large counting machines went down, it costs like $60k to fix lol.
OP
OP
Yep. I was so bummed after I walked in the first time. I invisioned hundred dollar bills from floor to ceiling. And there was nothing. Just a big ass counting machine that was like 14 feet long. And then huge cages with more safes/boxes. All closed and locked. Soooo boring.
Old State
Full House
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When I first heard of chip harvesting I thought it’s was pretty dubious and was surprised.
For a little context, I have never been a chip collector and joined this forum for custom chips. That said my first gut instinct was that is was a pretty cheesy move. Theoretically the casino makes out financially big time but it’s like steeling someone’s grill of their deck and leaving $1000 behind. The grill may have only cost $500 but it’s still steeling.
For a little context, I have never been a chip collector and joined this forum for custom chips. That said my first gut instinct was that is was a pretty cheesy move. Theoretically the casino makes out financially big time but it’s like steeling someone’s grill of their deck and leaving $1000 behind. The grill may have only cost $500 but it’s still steeling.
I remember reading an old Chipco ad where they were basically telling casinos “Use us to make novelty $5 or $25 chips for concerts events etc. and make more profits”. I know many casinos did this, I’m sure they still do. Some casinos promoted harvesting.
I see no problem with it. You give then money they give you an item in return. If you go to an arcade and get 20 dollars in tokens and leave with them in your pocket is it stealing? Of course not, it is an exchange of money for goods.
Frogzilla
4 of a Kind
What if I went to a local bar and purchased a draft peroni, and they gave me said beer in a nice Peroni branded glass? Can I leave with that glass, after all I paid for a glass of beer.
Or would you agree that the glass is sold for a specific use, but I am not welcome to leave with the glass
Frogzilla
4 of a Kind
Disclaimer that I snag a chip or two at every casino I visit, I know it’s against the casino rules but I can’t seem to care
Not the same in any way what so ever. Your money wS for the liquid in the glass not the glass itself. A casino chip is a 1 for 1 exchange. It is more akin if getting a Sri I in a paper cup from a drive through. Do you return the paper cup?
or like one of the refill coffee cups from the gas station. Do you Reduced cost refill once and then just leave it behind?
Don’t take the rack the chips come in, that is the “glass”. It’s the container if the chips you exchanged money for
Frogzilla
4 of a Kind
It’s more similar than you realize. Casino chips are casino property. Even when they are in your hands
AWenger
Full House
^^THIS. 100%
Casinos in Vegas and maybe elsewhere also have even made special commorative $8 chips, which aren't even used at table games*, for the specific reason for people to buy and take away from the casino. (The target market being people with a connection to asian cultures having 8 as a lucky number.)
[*Note: I think I recall reading the Nevada Gaming Commission now frowns on having special commemorative chips in denoms that aren't used in table games, so that maybe all future commemorative chips are $1 or $5 or $25 or other values.]
The NGC makes an official show of frowning, the casinos make an unofficial show of winking, people generally get what they want and money flows like whitewater rapids. What's there to object to, in the grand scheme of things?
Morals, I would say if you feel guilty then it might be against your morals.
Legality, I'm not a lawyer, however I would argue that you've paid for a product and it is yours to do with as you wish, even sell it to a third party.
Ethics, ahh the juicy aspect of your morality for asking the question.
I think the center of the question is this... oh wait lets talk about poker real quick.
If your into chips it would follow you've played / enjoy poker; I'm not sure if it was Canada Bill Jones that said, 'It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money', or not, but I will say Americans and the wild west have embraced the notion of, for quite some time. I mention it because you're likely on one side of this or not already.
The casinos are not helpless grandmothers, or proprietors of entertainment offering lollipops to boyscouts for good will. In the poker game of life, CASINOS are the f*&king rake.
Sure the chip values are less than the cost of the product to produce, but again, the casino is freely offering it, and does not seem concerned by the loss, if they were they would invest in loss prevention, and you know its not gotta be cost prohibitive for them at this stage of the game with more cameras that employee eyes. I would venture to guess the tax lawyers write it off enough ways that the chips are next to free.
Edit:
Hell I bet there is even a way to mark the loss as 'Marketing costs'
Legality, I'm not a lawyer, however I would argue that you've paid for a product and it is yours to do with as you wish, even sell it to a third party.
Ethics, ahh the juicy aspect of your morality for asking the question.
I think the center of the question is this... oh wait lets talk about poker real quick.
If your into chips it would follow you've played / enjoy poker; I'm not sure if it was Canada Bill Jones that said, 'It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money', or not, but I will say Americans and the wild west have embraced the notion of, for quite some time. I mention it because you're likely on one side of this or not already.
The casinos are not helpless grandmothers, or proprietors of entertainment offering lollipops to boyscouts for good will. In the poker game of life, CASINOS are the f*&king rake.
Sure the chip values are less than the cost of the product to produce, but again, the casino is freely offering it, and does not seem concerned by the loss, if they were they would invest in loss prevention, and you know its not gotta be cost prohibitive for them at this stage of the game with more cameras that employee eyes. I would venture to guess the tax lawyers write it off enough ways that the chips are next to free.
Edit:
Hell I bet there is even a way to mark the loss as 'Marketing costs'
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