I just returned from a fantastic family vacation in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana's Iberostar resort).

While there, I managed to visit 2 casinos. Like most Caribbean casinos, these were VERY small with a relatively small number of slots (I would guess in the 30-50 range) packed around a few table games (roulette, black jack and caribbean poker). I now have a new-found appreciation for the smoking laws in the US (cough-cough, hack-hack). There was a 3rd Casino (Paradisus) that was a not-so-safe $28 cab ride (each way) from where I was. I was busy enough with my family and content with the above 2 casinos so I passed on this option.

I will offer a single picture of the Iberostar Dominicana (Punta Cana) Casino when my friend forwards it to me. When that flash went off while taking that picture, it sure set off all the Casino employees. They are not fond of picture taking in their casinos. We later discovered a sign stating that it is strictly forbidden (I did not ask why). It's a good thing we took it from behind a crowded table. We calmly walked right out as they searched for the culprit.

They are also not very supportive of our chip collecting hobby. I requested a souvenir chip at the Iberostar cage and was told to check at the tables. I asked at the tables and had a very difficult time finding someone who could understand English. When I did, they first said no, then agreed to giving me a single $1 chip. So...the game was on . I looked around and found that only the roulette tables had more than a few $1 chips on them (and they did not have many either). I generally have zero interest in playing roulette (sorry Barry) but made an exception under the circumstances. I settled on the follwing strategy that worked fairly well. I bought in for $20, played down to $14 (worst case) and cashed out (receiving 2 $5's and 4 $1's in chips). After I did this twice, they caught on to my collecting plan and then escorted me to the cage to assure the chips got returned. If the casinos were just a bit bigger or more crowded, or had a smaller employee to patron ratio, I think I could have gotten away with more iterations of this plan, but I think they were watching me as soon as I made the request for chips. Oh well, it was fun and I managed to get 10 $1 chips. Here are their $1 & $5 chips:

The Riu Palace Casino had even fewer $1 chips and they were harder to get. This casino actually used the Dewers chip shown below when giving out change on some of their tables. Proximity wise, I was not to close to this casino and only went there once. Using similar techniques, I got a half-dozen chips from this casino as well. I also got the $1 coin-center chip in change from one of the cocktail waitresses (tipping does help). It was the only one I saw. They also offered a VERY sleazy looking Texas Hold'em game on a small (5-6 seat) table in the corner of the casino. I am not one that is quick to cry foul at a casino, but this game sure looked rigged to me. Here are their chips:

I had heard many stories about the lack of control and integrity at the airports. On top of that, with the recent heightened security at the airport, I figured everyone except the air traffic controllers would have their mitts in my luggage. We were told we could check NOTHING onto the plane except our papers (no books, no fluids of any kind, nothing). With that in mind, I was not overly interested in returning with a large number of higher denomination chips. As it turned out, there were 3 security checkpoints that I had to pass through and I think all the chips (dispersed throuhgout my suitcase) made it home safely.

I had hoped to get more chips, but did about as good as I reasonably could under the circumstances. Due to the limited quantity available, I am going to put priority on trading these for $1 Caribbean and/or Cruise ship chips that I do not currently possess. If you are interested in trading for one of these chips, please let me know what traders you have available.

Thanks for looking and have a great day...Jim