Looks like the Vegas casinos are starting to entertain the idea of RFID tags inplanted into the casino chips. For those not familiar wiht RFID it’s short for radio frequency identification. Companies like WalMart use it to track warehouse inventory. The casinos can use it to prevent fraud but also so they can keep track of where chips are going. It gives them the ability to track every single chip in the casino. If a dealer slides a chip in thier pocket, the casino knows about it.
Of course, I have a feeling that theft and fraud are not what the chips are for. They’re for marketing. They can auto-rate a player pretty easily if they know how much he’s wagering on every single hand instead of how they do it now.