I believe the writer has his information mixed up. Bellagio doesn't have RFIDs in the lower denominational chips. It's rumored to be in the $5,000 chips and above. Newer properties like the Wynn hotel put RFIDs in all their chips because they're the ones who have the play tracking tables he wrote about.
He wasn't caught because of the RFIDs in the chips, he was caught because he was trying to sell the $25,000 chips. In fact, he was gambling with the smaller chips and lost over $100,000. If those had the RFIDs in them, they would have caught him sooner. Instead he should have kept all the smaller chips and thrown the larger ones into a river and forgotten about them. It would have still been a nice haul.
> If you’re using high-rolling chips you can almost guarantee that a casino knows what you’re up to. Turns out Big Brother is alive and well, playing craps in Las Vegas.
After I originally read the article, I was about to take my chips that I have from a recent casino trip to a belt sander. But then I read your comment. I think the writer knew what he was talking about (the high-roller chips disclaimer) but couldn't resist breathlessly hyping up the Big Brother aspect.
But then I read this comment in the original thread:
5 points by vegasbrianc 54 days ago | link
"As engineer for the Casino Industry 99% of the casino RFID solutions on the market track all chips all denominations. The Casino RFID system is used in multiple ways
- Tracking players bets - Ensure the dealer is paying out or taking in the correct chips - Accurate accounting - Fraud Prevention
So next time you go to the casino remember they are tracking you even when you cannot see it."
Even if they're are RFID's in the chips themselves, the table still has to have scanning equipment to read the payouts and that's expensive. Not all casinos use that to track play and payouts. I believe Bellagio uses old school tracking with pit bosses going around writing down your play from time to time.
He wasn't caught because of the RFIDs in the chips, he was caught because he was trying to sell the $25,000 chips. In fact, he was gambling with the smaller chips and lost over $100,000. If those had the RFIDs in them, they would have caught him sooner. Instead he should have kept all the smaller chips and thrown the larger ones into a river and forgotten about them. It would have still been a nice haul.