Question of the Day - 09 February 2007

Here's the lowdown:

• The Palms released its $8, $25, and $100 "Year of the Pig" chips on Jan. 25 and confirmed that they're running low on the $8 ones, so get there soon to avoid disappointment. They don't impose a formal limit on how many you can buy, but do discourage mass purchases for resale, so that everyone gets a fair shot. The $8 chips are strictly promotional; the others are playable in the casino, although they'll instantly be worth more than their face value to collectors.
• The Four Queens is supposed to release an $8 chip -- the cage confirms it -- but they don't know when they'll be getting them, so call to check.
• The MGM Grand just released an $8 chip Feb. 2. It's an oversized 43 mm chip, as opposed to the regular 39 mm diameter. Again, there's no strict limit enforced, but they generally won't sell you more than $100 worth per visit.
• Among the Harrah's group, Bally's, Paris, and the Rio are all due to issue Year of the Pig chips, which this year will apparently be in $8 (as opposed to their usual $5) and $25 denominations. The Paris/Bally's chips are reportedly going to customers attending a special VIP Chinese New Year party on February 18, with any spares being sold via the cage, although we don't have confirmation of this. The Rio anticipates their chips being available at the cage from February 11.
• The Wynn is due to release an $8 commemorative chip on Feb. 14.

That's all we know of so far, but we'll add updates to this answer if any more information comes our way, so check back if you're a collector.

We'd like to extend our thanks to www.thechipboard.com and Andy Hughes at www.nevadacasinochips.com for their help with answering this question, and to Gene Trimble and Andy for providing the photographs.