I was surprised to hear this. However, it didn't seem that they were making money from the operation, based on the cruise I took.

I wonder if the chips and tokens will be returned to the Viejas tribe at some point, and if so, will they surface for collectors? If the ship winds up in Singapore and is sold, the chips may not make it back. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to get some chips & tokens off the boat a month ago. (All have been sold/traded; none left.) From new to obsolete in just 2 months! May turn out to be a scarce chip, depending on the fate of the chips on board.

The Las Vegas Sun website has similar article at:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/gaming/2000/jun/04/510339913.html