Do casinos actually lose money if a collector takes, say, a $1 Paulson chip out of circulation? Does a single chip cost the casino more or less than a dollar to purchase from the manufacturer?

I had heard somewhere that it's not the cost of the chip that is the issue, it's the fact that when they audit their chips they know what they bought and they know what they have left (minus loss for known damaged chips). I was told they then have to pay tax on the difference because the chips are treated as being "sold".

not sure if it's true but it makes a certain amount of sense.