... have a legal background, that is.

Based on 25 years of experience in criminal law (10 as a prosecutor & 15 as defense counsel), I can say unequivocally that removal of regular chips (that is, those with a fixed value), after they have been "paid" for and under circumstances giving the express or implied consent of the casino, is NOT a theft of any kind.

This, of course, is different than the case Steve linked to ("palming" of chips by an employee who has not given value for them), which is embezzlement. It is also different than the removal of casino property for which no value has been given (ashtrays, towels, ice machines , etc.), which is also theft.

I suppose the rules could be constructed in such a way as to criminalize the removal of regular chips, but under the current rules and the manner in which they are enforced by the casinos, it is not a crime.

Nothing I have said in this post has anything to do with roulette chips!

----- jim o\-S