Actually, why a $5 and a $25, as opposed to an $8 Limited Edition (commemorative) Year of the Ox chip?

First and foremost, the reason to issue a Chinese Lunar New Year commemorative chip is NOT because of the collector interest.

Secondly, an $8 denominated chip does NOT play well in a commission-type game (baccarat and pai-gow poker). And if it's an over-sized chip, it may work with a baccarat dealer rack, but the pai-gow tables are not typically set-up for an over-sized chip. This typically means that a Casino Manager does not like an $8 chip as it complicates the work process of the dealers. Which can lead to errors or the slowing down of play.

So why then did (does) a casino issue Year of the Ox chips if the lucky number "8" was not used and the collector interest was not being entertained?...

"We gave a lot of them away and the resulting action (play) was well worth it!"

So, using the chips like a food comp or room comp more than paid for the costs of producing the chips!

Kind of interesting!

Jim