That’s right! It’s time to Nominate!

Inside this issue of the award winning Casino Collectibles News you will find an Official Nomination Form for the 2016 OTY Awards. Every Club member is encouraged to take a little time and reflect back on the fabulous array of chips, tokens, strikes and cards issued by casinos worldwide during the calendar year of 2016 . If any of them stand out in your mind, or take centerstage in your collection, then perhaps you might want to recognize them by nominating them as a candidate for the OTY Awards.

Only as a CCA member are you entitled to participate in the Club’s annual Chip of the Year (COTY), Token of the Year (TOTY), Silver Strike of the Year (SSOTY) and Slot Card/Room Key of the Year (CKOTY) competitions, aka: The OTY’s!

The 2016 Awards will be marking the Club's 28th year of COTY and TOTY competitions, our 18th year of the SSOTY competition and our 16th year for CKOTY honors. I am both honored and pleased to be serving as the COTY, TOTY, SSOTY and CKOTY Awards Competitions Chairman, along with my son, Casey, the Assistant OTY Chairman.

The rules for this year’s competitions are pretty much the same as last year, and for our newer members (a very big Welcome to our newcomers) and as a refresher for our seasoned participants, I will go over the requirements once again.

Between April 1, 2017 and April 23, 2017 the Assistant OTY Chairman will be accepting nominations from any and all Club members in good standing. As a reminder to all Regular members, please be sure to make a copy (or copies) of the nomination form for the Associate Member(s) tied to your membership number, so that they too can participate.

Completed, original nomination forms were designed to be folded, taped (stapling is acceptable, but the Post Office prefers tape), affixed with 1st Class postage (.49 cents) and then mailed. Completed forms (original forms or copies) may be sent in an envelope to the address that appears on the back of an original form. That address is also re-printed below for your convenience. As we did last year we will accept nominations via email to OTY@CCGTCC.com . However, if you take advantage of this method, you must format your submission into the same headings as the Nomination Form AND you must include all of your nominations at one time. Please do not make piece-meal submissions. If you do, then the most current submission form will replace, in total, any previously submitted form(s). Emailed submissions must be sent prior to midnight (PST) April 23, 2017.

Judging will be open to any and all CC>CC, Inc. members in good standing. The Nominees will all be posted on the Club’s website (or linked from there) so that they can be viewed and voted upon by all Club Members, whether or not a member submits a Nomination Form.

If you submit a mailed-in Nomination Form, and do not have email, nor access to the internet, a Ballot will be mailed to you. These ballots must be returned via the postal system and must be postmarked on or before a date to-be-determined and announced later. However, voting will also be conducted via email, the details of which will be announced later on the Club’s website: www.ccgtcc.com.

For those who are internet connected, you can always visit ChipGuide and perform a search of potential candidates for nomination by using the search utility to find chips, tokens, strikes and room keys/slot cards issued in “2016”. Visit the Museum of Gaming History’s ChipGuide at: http://themogh.org/cg_home2.php.

The fine print:

All nominee candidates must have been issued, for use, for the first time, during the calendar year of 2016. Various members of the CC>CC may be called upon to verify the criteria for chips and tokens. The Officers of the Silver Striker’s Club shall be called upon to verify the criteria for Silver Strikes. The Officers of the Slot Card and Room Key Club shall be called upon to verify the criteria for slot cards/room keys.

Chip of the Year eligibility criteria: A chip must be issued by a casino. It must also serve a gaming purpose.

Token of the Year eligibility criteria: A token is one that is intended to be inserted into a slot machine for play. Excluded are coins (money), currency and tickets. The emphasis is on slot machine play. TOTY Awards are currently on hiatus but will be reestablished if 10 different nominations are made.

Silver Strike of the Year eligibility criteria: Simply stated, an eligible Silver Strike is a bi-metal coin made in follow-on to the Silver Strike Program of IGT. This includes $300 strikes.

Slot Card/Room Key of the Year eligibility criteria:

Slot Cards must be issued by a casino and are intended to track player action at a slot machine.

Room Keys must be issued by an affiliated hotel/casino establishment. The key (looking like a plastic credit card) must be used to open a guest room.

Casey and I look forward to receiving your nominations shortly. We may be contacted via email: OTY@CCGTCC.com

Jim Follis
OTY Awards Competition Chairman