Found this nifty little item in an antique store, and it immediately piqued my interest...

Here's what I know about the backstory behind this Chipco chip:

Trevor Cook was a money manager in Minneapolis who was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked 1000 people out of over $190 million dollars. Much of the money was funneled to a casino project in Panama called Panama Bay Hotel and Casino.

An article about the scheme and the casino project: http://www.startribune.com/business/63003227.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
An e-brochure for the very posh planned casino project: http://www.ebrochures.com/ecatalog/Presentations/All/Panama+Bay+Hotel+and+Casino

This chip was obviously created as advertising for the casino, and along the rim says "Bring to opening night for $100 in free play."

What I'd like to know is...

1) Was there ever an opening night? Did the casino ever open under the Panama Bay or any other name? The website (panamabayhotel.com) is no longer in existence, so I assume if the casino did open, it's long gone.

2) How common/rare is this chip? I tried my usual eBay and Chipboard searches and haven't found anything like it.

I have some extras that I would be willing to sell/trade if anyone is interested.