Clyde, Your story brings back fond memories of my trip to the Dominican Republic approximately 3 years ago. I too encountered a similar sign posted in a few of the casinos I visited. The sign was in Spanish & said something to the effect that anyone caught removing chips from the casino would be SHOT! There were guys at the door of the casino carrying sawed-off shotguns & they had tatoos & eye-patches. Even though I read & speak Spanish fairly well, I made like I had no idea what they were saying & off I went into the street & quickly jumped in my rented car. I had full insurance coverage, so I could care less if they too pot shots as long as I was out of range. AH, the joys of chip collecting.
Bob
BTW, I did manage to bring back lots of chips that I hid in my underwear as my wife & I cleared customs. I played it safe until I cleared customs in Miami.