I visited the El Cortez to learn more about these souvenirs. "Jim", whom John Benedict spoke with, was out today, but will be in tomorrow. (Jim works at the "Club Cortez" player's club desk.) At that desk, and at several other locations, there are 8 x 10, foamboard stand-ups that are promoting the giveaway.

I took some pictures of the stand-ups and make the following comments.

First off, at this point I do believe that these items are actual, original chips. Look at the image here. The The half-pie $1 chip is yellow and blue. In actuality, the real chip is mustard and grey. On the original version of the $5 chip, the denomination is green, as is the wording (in script) "El Cortez" above the denomination. On the souvenir, they are printed in black.

Of course there can be color shifting between the artwork and the actual souvenirs, but for my money, for right now, I say they are not actual gaming chips from back in the day.

Note also, at the very bottom of the stand-up, it reads: "Limit 2 keychains per account. While supplies last. An alternative gift may be given. Must be 21 years or older. See Club Cortez for complete details."