We've done dogs (2006) and pigs (2007), so we figured we'd keep up the tradition and see who's offering commemorative chips to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Rat. And the answer is, not many.
Bally's, Four Queens, Harrah's, Las Vegas Hilton, and the Rio, which all have in the past, inform us that they won't be producing chips for this Chinese New Year. So that leaves: MGM Grand, which will be releasing lucky $8 chips "sometime in the week of February 4"; the Palms, which released special $8, $25, and $100 denomination chips (see below) at 10 am on Jan. 31; and Wynn, which is releasing its $8 chips on Feb. 10.
We know there's no limit on how many you can buy from the cages at the Palms and Wynn; we're not sure if MGM Grand is imposing a limit or not. These highly collectible chips tend to sell like hotcakes, so we strongly recommend calling ahead to the cage to see if they have any left before you make a special trip somewhere.
As far as Las Vegas' other celebrations for Chinese New Year are concerned, the Bellagio Observatory has had its exhibit on display since Jan. 14. We've already listed some other events in the Today's News column and will continue to let you know of additional ones as we hear about them.
The Palms "Year of the Rat" chips appear courtesy of Gene Trimble of thechipboard.com, who has kindly been helping us for years; the Bellagio Conservatory "Year of the Rat" images appear courtesy of MGM-Mirage. Click on the thumbnails to view the larger versions.
