All You Need to Know About Playing Chips in Casinos

Casino chips are the equivalent of money. They were invented to provide customers with greater convenience and save them from having to carry large amounts of cash. They also put all visitors on a level playing field, eliminating the possibility of playing for different currencies. Chips are their own currency unit of the gambling establishment, they bear the logo of the casino and serve the withdrawal casino aims like in the same day withdrawal online casinos. They are made of certain materials and have a multi-level protection against counterfeiting. All as with conventional currency, but only within a particular gambling establishment.

When they appeared

The casinos themselves arose long before the appearance 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 usual money like in real money online casinos, jewelry, gold, accessories and any other items of any value.

Chips, familiar to the modern gambler, 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.

At the end of XIX century in circulation were clay chips. Over 50 years produced more than 1,000 varieties. To protect them from counterfeiting complicated drawings and special marks.

Plastic in this area began to be used in the early 1900s. Manufacturers always kept the composition of the material secret and continue to do so to this day. 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.

1. A visitor to the casino in the right to buy as many tokens in the cashier of the gambling establishment. Upon receipt of payments they can be exchanged back for money. To purchase it is not necessary to pay in cash. You can do it with a bank card, for example. A few hundred years ago, because of the lack of chips, people were forced to carry coins and jewelry
2. Thanks to the application of special marks and intricate 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
3. All tokens have a certain denomination, marked with a corresponding number and color. Moreover, the denominations are not so many that you can get confused in them. As a rule, they are not more than 5-7. Due to this chips are easy to count, which saves time for the client, the dealer and the employee of the cash register

What do they make of

The most common material for the manufacture is clay, but not pure, and with the addition of sand, calcium carbonate and chalk. The presence in the composition of these impurities allows you to increase the strength of products, their resistance to scratches, as well as durability in general.

First, the mixture is given the shape of the future chip, cut out pieces of clay on the sides, replacing them with a material of a different color. This operation is repeated for each token separately, so the manufacturing process is very expensive and time-consuming. The original rib decoration becomes proof of authenticity.

After that the tokens are placed in a special mold and processed under pressure at 150 degrees Celsius. Thin inserts of film or plastic are applied on both sides beforehand. The drawings on them, after compression molding becomes part of the chip and can no longer be separated from it without damage.

Casinos who want to save money use ceramic counterparts instead of clay. The main advantage of the composition of resins and plastics is a small weight of the finished product – usually less than 10 grams. For their weight in the center are often inserted metal elements.

Dozens of companies are engaged in the production of casino chips, but the most famous among them is Chipco. Since its founding, the brand has produced more than 70 million products for institutions around the world.

The cost of a single chip ranges on average from $1 to $2. Cheaper versions can be found at local manufacturers. In Russia, this case is engaged, for example, the company “CART”.

There are unique collectible tokens that can take in most casinos around the world. One of these created by the famous jeweler from Canada, Jerry Levy. He used pure rose gold and diamonds in his work.