Scott:

You should expect that if you do return the chips the casino will probably label you a thief in their records and ban you from their establishment anyway. If you look at it from their perspective, they don't have a clue what your plans are for those chips. They can only approach it from the angle that someday in the future you will buy in for a higher wager amount and attempt to reintroduce those chips onto the table. You can't fault them for their tenacity in trying to get those chips back into their bank. It is an expensive proposition for them to pull all of the non-value chips from the table and replace them with new ones to prevent you or anyone else from cashing in at a higher chip value than when the chips were purchased. Scott, you are in a tenuous position--they have you on tape taking the chips off of the table. If you keep them you can't go back. If you return them they probably will label you and bar you anyway. The reasonable side of me says return them with an explanation of what you do for a hobby and let the chips fall where they may. Good Luck, Chuck T.