So, let's say you stole $1.5 million dollars in betting chips...

...how do you fence them.

Inspired by this guy and in no way, no how, a post by someone on the internet looking for ideas for how to solve a personal problem, I ask you. How would you do it?

I'm not sure you could. They're unique to the casino and the instant you set foot back there security would beat the shit out of you.

But if you're not afraid of that possibility, I guess the only option is to send in someone else or yourself in disguise with the chips, and then try to cash em discreetly.

Given the epic levels of security cameras at a casino, it seems pretty unlikely that they wouldn't catch on to you having chips you shouldn't have (i.e. hadn't purchased just then or won at the table).

Uh, little bits at a time? Walk in, do some small stuff, and cash in a small bundle?

But security cameras are everywhere, so I bet they'd eventually catch onto him and realize he was cashing in winnings he didn't actually earn that night.

Not like he can cash them in just anywhere.

Right, the problem with a little bit at a time is that there's a good chance nobody is really noticing with small amounts but the smaller the amount, the more times you have to do it. The best thing is to go in buy some chips, add your own, gamble a bit then go back. It requires a loss of some money though and you'd still have to waste a lot of time.

Possibly adding some helpers could work. For instance, you got a friend or partner or blackmail victim. You and they go in and buy some chips, you add your own and you split the bundle. You then go to the roulette table and one bets on black, the other on red. You keep it consistent, you vary the amount you bet, when one wins, the other loses so you keep your money. After several bets, you go and cash in your chips. You have a reason for having chips, several transactions that would be harder to track, if you go to a busy table that adds to your cover and you can probably get away with taking away more.

It would be better if you could organise a poker game and you all are in on it, using the chips, the casino doesn't care so much because it isn't their money. However I don't really know how they organise those.

I'd think they'd catch on to that eventually, those places are like Fort Knox.

Which raises the question of how the guy got the chips in the first place...

Is it legal/allowed to just set up a private game with your best friend or a group of friends with the money flowing freely between you all.

Also, what about CHAINS of Casinos. There are casino chains AFAIK. e.g. you jack shit from a Casino in Memphis, TN -> you go to Las Vegas to cash 'em in.

Having $1.5 million in chips doesn't mean your friends have $1.5 million riding on the game. Using these for a poker game would be the same as using cheap Walgreens betting chips-except that these were probably harder to get.

I like the get chips, play for a bit, then cash out.

Yoru payoff at teh end of the night should be greater than what you had to pay in the beginning to look legit.

Example: Buy 100 busks worth of their chips, but have 600-worth in your pocket. Play for awhile, than call it a night. Cash in all your chips, to include yoru 600 stash.

You pocket a hundred cash for the next night's buy in, so you end up making 500 a night. That should cover your expenses and stuff for about several years, or until the chips run out. Or you get busted.

Here's another way to look at it.

Why do you hvae to be the one to sit on the chips? Sell them to some criminal organization for a loss, so maybe you get only 500 thousand bucks (or even less, depends on what hte fence is willing to pay), and they deal with it. Find a fencer of stolen goods, sell the stuff, sit on the cash, and they have to work out how to cash them in.

Just like stealing any other highly visible piece of small item, like jewelry. Don't go trying to sell it yoruself at some jwelry store, get a fence to do that for you. Sure, you make less money, but you also have less risk.

(I feature some smuggling, fencing and other illicit stuff in one of my stories.)

edited 15th Dec '10 9:03:17 AM by pvtnum11

The problem is he stole 1.5 million in chips. This means he stole large dollar chips. Do you have any idea how heavy those things would be in a reasonable denomination? The casino will be reasonably suspicious of anyone with, say, a $50,000 chip and no line of credit for a long time.

So basically what you have is 1.5 million dollars of pressed clay.

As for casinos with branches in different states or cities, every one I've been to has their chips marked with their city.

Edit: I don't know if this is true, but I heard that some casinos tag their REALLY large dollar chips. It'd be pretty funny if this ended up being one of them.

edited 15th Dec '10 9:16:42 AM by Bur

Aha, you bring up a good point. The dollar chips weigh the most as at the one casino we went to, as they were metallic. My dad had 800 of them under the pillow, from the slots, looked a lot like silver dollars.

Okay, I'd definitely have to fence them, if they wre large denominations. Chances are, I'm already known in the criminal network already... I'm having trouble imagining this as a loner - he's got to be known about in the underworld. I think fencing them for a loss is the only way to unload them and get something for them.

While this is an intriguing idea, it's going to be really tough to get away with: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Gambling-1414/Counterfeit-Chips.htm That link contains info related to counterfeit chips, but the same procedures will also protect the casino against stolen chips.

Of course all this assumes that the casino didn't know the chips were stolen in the first place- unlikely, and if not true, then the whole plan is probably dead in the water.