Chips in casinos are the equivalent of money. They were invented to provide customers with greater convenience and eliminate the need to carry large amounts of cash. They also put all visitors on an equal footing by eliminating the possibility of playing with different currencies. Chips are their own monetary unit of gambling establishment, they are labeled with the casino logo. They are made of certain materials and have a multi-level protection against counterfeiting. Everything is the same as with regular currency, but only within a particular gambling establishment.
- When they appeared
- Why they are more convenient than money
- Performance standards
- What they are made of
- Protection against counterfeiting
When they appeared
Casinos themselves emerged long before the advent of chips. It is believed that the first full-fledged gambling establishment, available to the general public, was founded in 1626 in Venice. Its visitors used for betting ordinary money, jewelry, gold, accessories and any other objects of any value.
Chips familiar to the modern player began to appear in the early 1800s. They had any shape and size and were made of different materials. Sometimes they were even made of cardboard.
The most popular at the dawn of the casino were square and round chips with convex images and holes. Their face value was determined not by a number, but by a pattern.
The most reputable gambling houses used gold and silver tokens, but quickly abandoned this idea, as cheaters began to counterfeit them
The most reputable gambling houses used to use gold and silver tokens, but quickly abandoned this idea, as fraudsters began to counterfeit them.
At the end of XIX century clay chips were in use. For 50 years they produced more than 1000 varieties. To protect them from counterfeiting, they were marked with complex drawings and special marks.
Plastic in this area began to be used in the early 1900s. Manufacturers have always kept the composition of the material a secret and continue to do so until now. Most casinos use unique proportions of plastic and clay to avoid counterfeiting.
Why they are more convenient than money
Clay and plastic chips have a lot of advantages over paper and even electronic currencies.
| There is no need to carry a lot of cash | A casino visitor is free to buy as many tokens as he wants at the gambling establishment’s cash register. When receiving payouts, they can be exchanged back for money. It is not necessary to pay in cash for the purchase. It can be done, for example, with a bank card. A few hundred years ago, due to the lack of chips, people were forced to take coins and jewelry with them. |
|---|---|
| Hard to counterfeit | Thanks to the application of special marks and complex patterns, as well as the exact weight, shape and composition of products, the institution can quickly detect counterfeit chips. Each casino has its own internal currency and ways to determine its authenticity. |
| Ease of counting | All tokens have a certain face value, marked with the corresponding number and color. Moreover, the denominations are not so many that you can get confused in them. As a rule, they are no more than 5-7. Thanks to this chips are easy to count, which saves time for the client, dealer and cashier. |
If the visitor has a large number of tokens at his disposal, he may be given a special stand for them.
Performance standards
Despite the fact that the composition and design of chips ukajdogo casino different, for more than 200 years in the field of gambling formed common rules regarding their color. Each shade symbolizes its denomination. In most American institutions adhere to this system.
| Shade | Value, $ |
|---|---|
| White | 1 |
| Red | 5 |
| Blue | 10 |
| Green | 25 |
| Black | 100 |
| Purple | 500 |
| Yellow | 1000 |
Usually, casino tables for roulette, poker, blackjack and other games are painted in one of the colors given. This is done in order to show visitors the minimum bet limit.
There are minor differences, but in general, the classification is about the same all over the world. At the same time, no one prohibits casinos to issue their own individual tokens with unique colors and denominations.
In the institution Aladdin in Las Vegas produced chips of record high value. Each of them is valued at $10 million
The Aladdin in Las Vegas produces chips of record high value. Each of them is valued at $10 million.
If the colors are usually the same, the shape and design are not standardized. In most cases, casinos use oval or round “currency”, but there are also rectangular, square and even triangular versions. As illustrations for them used branded symbols of the institution, various patterns and embossing.
The weight of chips can vary greatly. Usually it does not exceed 15 grams per product. Heavier tokens could cause discomfort when used.
What they are made of
The most common material for manufacturing is clay, but not pure, but with the addition of sand, calcium carbonate and chalk. The presence of these impurities in the composition allows you to increase the strength of products, their resistance to scratches, as well as the service life in general.
First, the mixture is given the shape of the future chip, cut out pieces of clay on the sides, replacing with a material of a different color. This operation is repeated for each token separately, so the manufacturing process is very expensive and labor-intensive. The original decoration of the rib becomes a confirmation of authenticity.
After that, the chips are placed in a special mold and processed under pressure at a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius. Beforehand, thin inserts made of film or plastic are applied on both sides. After compression molding, the drawings on them become part of the chip and can no longer be separated from it without causing damage.
Casinos wishing to save money use ceramic analogs instead of clay. The main advantage of the composition of resins and plastics becomes a small weight of finished products – usually no more than 10 grams. To make them heavier, metal elements are often inserted in the center.
Production of chips for casinos are engaged in dozens of companies, but the most famous among them is Chipco. Since its foundation, the brand has produced more than 70 million products for establishments around the world.
The cost of one token is an average of 1 to 2 dollars. Cheaper options can be found at local manufacturers. In Russia, for example, the company CART is engaged in this business.
There are unique collectible chips that can be accepted in most casinos in the world. One of them created a famous jeweler from Canada Jerry Levy. In his work, he used pure rose gold and diamonds.
And in 2011, British designer Geoffrey Parker released the most expensive at the time poker set consisting of a leather bag decorated with precious metals and stones, a deck of cards, a board with platinum inserts and 384 chips made of 18-carat gold.
Different stones corresponded to each color and denomination. White tokens were decorated with diamonds, blue ones with sapphires, red ones with rubies, etc. The total value of the set amounted to $7,300,000.
Protection against counterfeiting
Given the popularity of the sphere of gambling and the money that spins in it, chips have become an object of interest to fraudsters. To prevent the use of fakes in the institution, the following measures are provided:
- Unique composition.In case it is necessary to prove the guilt of a person in the use of counterfeit chips, one of them can be sent for laboratory analysis. All tokens in the institution are made of the same mixture. Its composition is kept in the strictest secrecy.
- Appearance.Completely repeat the design of the chip is difficult because of the large number of parts and the costliness of the production process. Distinguish the original from the fake can be distinguished by dozens of criteria, ranging from color combinations on the facets and ending with hidden touches.
- Additional protection.If these security measures seem insufficient to the institution, it can order the manufacturer to apply ultraviolet markings, and in the chips with the highest denomination to install chips.
Also, any casino has a continuous video surveillance system, so it is almost impossible to cheat.
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