They are "profitable to them."

Many casinos worldwide have had tokens and chips minted using precious metals and precious stones.

Casinos Austria also makes diamond studded chips which are done by setting polished, cut stones in solid white gold chips. Estimated value of the chips (when I first reported this on the board) vary from 2,000 to 10,000 Austrian schillings, depending on the size, colour and quality of the stones.

The WSJ had ads showing beautiful minted boxed sets of Las Vegas casino chips in gold and silver in the late-60s and early-70s.

I do not know anything about the Dunes piece seen in this thread.

John