"Most of our members are local collectors who collect nothing but area illegals from Galveston. They have no desire to collect other types of chips, would never make it to the convention in Vegas and probably would not read the club magazine if you gave it to them for free."

Doug; This is the same situation that exists in most chapters ... some only collect certain things and others collect something else ... but the fact of the matter is that CHAPTERS are extentions of the National organization.... no different than many other parent organizations which have branches. If your son or daughter belongs to your local Boy Scout Troop or Girl Scout Troop, don't they also belong to BSA or GSA and receive the national organization's magazine that they don't bother to read? Only a minority of local Little League teams make it to Williamsport (vs. your Las Vegas example), but tens of thousands of Little Leaguers are enrolled in the National program.

"I am afraid that a rule of that nature will cause our own chapter membership to drop.

Why do you believe that Doug ... (and others who have made a similar prediction)? As stated before, those individual CC & GTCC members who currently belong to Chapters will in all probability continue their membership in CC & GTCC no matter what the final decision is on this matter. If it comes to the Houston group now having to call itself the "Houston Chip Club" instead of the "Houston Chapter of CC & GTCC ... why would your members leave the local club from which they have derived so much pleasure?

Once again, I urge everyone to maintain their open-mindedness and let's wait to see what the club officers propose in February before we start bickering among ourselves to a point of no return.