Casino chips in the church plate.

[nutforslots]

This is rather unusual and nice to see actually. I mean if your a gambler you should be giving your thanks to the man upstairs for the wins right. The guy who turns them in has the nickname,the chip monk.

The clever nickname suits an 80-year-old who instinctively tells corny jokes for the benefit, largely, of his own easy-to-please sense of humor. Nelson was an Episcopalian from Iowa who moved to Las Vegas in 1959 to work in the Review-Journal’s classified-ad section and converted to Catholicism after being hired as Guardian Angel’s organist in the 1960s. He’s long embraced the legend of the Chip Monk, even once getting his photo snapped with a pair of Chippendales because he thought it would be a gas.

Sadly, the legend is less accurate now than it once was. The cashiers at Caesars Palace came up with the moniker when Nelson would bring in more than $2,500 in chips each month. At the time, Caesars would cash Nelson’s stash regardless of which hotel it came from. Guardian Angel even solicited them; as the plate was passed during Mass, the speaker would tell worshippers: “If you’ve got any chips, toss ’em in. They’re good here.”

In the past decade, though, the Nevada Gaming Control Board ruled that casinos can no longer cash other casinos’ currency. The church stopped asking for chips after that; slot receipts and winning sports book slips are the most common gambling currency they receive anyway.

Still, some chips do come in. Nelson stores them in long plastic bins in the back of the safe where the collection plates and communion cups are kept, but he’ll go to a casino to cash them only after he’s accumulated at least $100 from the property. Most of what the church receives are $1 chips, and those aren’t worth Nelson driving all over town to redeem.

That is nice but it is a shame that the casino's are now limited but hey as long as the chips are good I say great. Now if only people would stop putting the dollar ones in and give a little more generously. Perhaps god would see and do the same.

[queen of hearts]

This is good news, because it is nice to see people giving at church even if it is with chips from a casino.

Though with the way things are going lately, churches should be thankful that they are getting anything from their worshipers because most people are finding it difficult enough as it is making ends meet.

Anyway I am glad that people are giving and still willing to stretch their dollars even more in tough times. I hope that those who toss in those chips into the collection plate win a bit more often and are able to increase from those $1 chips to something a little more pricey to make it worth traveling around to cash them in.

[vegasrocks]

Hey, some people can't even really afford to give up the buck for church but they do. God appreciates it just as if it were one hundred bucks I think.

I've never seen anyone put casino chips in the offering though. Thats is really rather funny to me. I imagine my church would frown upon it lol. Thats okay though, different churches- different opinions.

[VegasLuvsMe]

I think people adding their casino chips in the church plates is great!

Some of those people probably spent most of their money in the casinos and if they go to church and happen to have a few spare $1 chips to throw in, that's great!

Even the idea of someone adding a slot machine slip with credits on it into the church plate is a good idea.

This Chip Monk has the right idea; save all the chips up until there's enough to go cash in at a casino.

Chips = $ as far as I'm concerned, even if it's only a few bucks at a time.

[anaiahkibwe]

I didn't get to finish playing two of my online poker games, since at times my work schedule won't allow it.

But then on some days I can play one poker tournament while working and it doesn't disrupt what I'm working on. On those days it's usually an 8-game or Horse poker tournament.