The former Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City had not taken a legal wager in nearly 40 years. But state regulators are just now putting a halt to cashing in the gambling parlor’s expired chips.

David Rebuck, director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, issued an emergency order on Friday, putting an immediate stop to redeeming cheques from the Playboy casino. The casino ceased AC casinos operations in 1989 after state regulators denied Playboy’s ownership a gaming license.

In a memo dated July 7, Rebuck said the emergency action was necessary to preserve “public peace, health, safety, morals, good order and general welfare.” He went on to say:

“I am issuing this emergency order to prevent fraudulent claims on the chip redemption fund, which was intended only to compensate Playboy customers and was not intended for redemptions by chips subsequently acquired by other persons. Such fund was also not intended as a means to redeem chips that were supposed to have been destroyed but were not.”