I had thought of trying to collect some TITOs. I get them from time to time with denominations that don't seem worth going to the cage to collect. So, I keep them in my pocket and take them home. I have found that in a very short time they tend to fade away and are virtually unreadable. I have a couple from The Orleans that date to as late as last summer and they are noticably more difficult to read. I found one from among some souvenirs that dates to June of 03 and it is virtually blank. So, what value is there in collecting them if they are going to fade so quickly. All you have is a blank piece of paper with the casino logo on it.

The only solution that I can imagine might be to laminate them in some way. However, note that the lamination would need to be COLD. Or in other words, peel off sheets. The HOT lamination processes like those you might have done at Kinkos etc. where they put your paper between two sheets of plastic and fuse them together with heat would probably turn the paper black.

Besides all this, what causes the degradation of the print on the tickets. Is it handling and wear? Lamination might help. Is it Air? Lamination might help. If on the other hand, it is due to exposure to light that causes the fading of the print, then lamination, I would think, would not be effective to preserve the printing.

I haven't been following this subject enough to know if anyone has done any testing to see what causes degradation and what might lengthen the life of TITOs as a collectable. I would think, limited handling, Maybe storing inside a acid free plastic sleeve might help. Keeping the vouchers inside envelopes or folders that would be light tight and limiting their viewing might also be advisable. When you do view them, I might also suggest in lower level more subdued lighting. Don't expose them to long terms of bright extreme light. Also, keep them in cool dry places avoiding exposure to heat.

Like I said at the beginning. As much as it has occuoured to me, I have not started to "Collect" the vouchers as they seem too unstable as a collectable. I might take one, if it is of a good denomination win and photograph it, before cashing out, for my scrap book of vacation mementos... Maybe keep some as specimens and photographing or scanning them might also be an option. I just don't, as of yet, see the value in keeping the actual vouchers.

Will look forward to any responses or suggestions on the long term viability of collecting these payout tickets.