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Recent posts
#11
General Discussion / Congratulations to James Hogg,...
Last post by Jim Follis LM-3872-53 - May 18, 2026, 02:41 PMCCA Member, James Hogg, R-9031, has just finalized his book and will be at the CCA Convention and Show on Thursday, 18 June 2026 (time is TBD) at the MoGH Table to autograph purchased copies of his book: Las Vegas Luxury Defined - What the Mob Accidentally Taught Las Vegas About.
Congratulations, James, on becoming a bona fide author!
Congratulations, James, on becoming a bona fide author!
#12
General Discussion / We need 30+ more SP room night...
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - May 18, 2026, 12:37 PMHey, everyone. Hopefully, many of you reading this have still NOT made your hotel reservations for the CCA Convention/Show coming up next month. We NEED around 30+ more nights booked in order to meet our contractual commitment with the South Point.
Missing this important (to the South Point and therefore, to us) target puts us in jeopardy of not being offered their facilities next year, so if you haven't booked your room at the South Point, please do it ASAP. THIS IS THE LAST WEEK THE CODE CAN BE USED FOR PRE-BOOKING!!
Here's a link with the booking code (CAS0614):
https://be.synxis.com/?adult=1&arrive=2026-06-17&chain=6903&child=0¤cy=USD&depart=2026-06-18&group=CAS0614&hotel=11548&level=hotel&locale=en-US&productcurrency=USD&rooms=1&src=CAS0614
Here are some other ways to help:
If you have any questions, reach out to David Spragg, convention@ccgtcc.com.
Thanks -- barry
Missing this important (to the South Point and therefore, to us) target puts us in jeopardy of not being offered their facilities next year, so if you haven't booked your room at the South Point, please do it ASAP. THIS IS THE LAST WEEK THE CODE CAN BE USED FOR PRE-BOOKING!!
Here's a link with the booking code (CAS0614):
https://be.synxis.com/?adult=1&arrive=2026-06-17&chain=6903&child=0¤cy=USD&depart=2026-06-18&group=CAS0614&hotel=11548&level=hotel&locale=en-US&productcurrency=USD&rooms=1&src=CAS0614
Here are some other ways to help:
- If you've already booked your room, add more days before or after and enjoy Las Vegas a bit longer. We can always use help setting up and tearing down if you need a reason to arrive early or stick around after. I might need help shipping out auction items to remote winners as well.
- Stay for the 4 Queens Halloween Silver Strike release (new tokens in their machines on Wed June 24)
- Stay for the Silver Strikers June tournament at the 4 Queens the following weekend and book more SP nights in between
- Get friends to come to the show and book through the club link
- Bring your mother-in-law (you'll certainly want her to have her own room)
- If you used comps to book your room, re-book using our code, then have your VIP host comp your rooms at checkout
- If you used comps for your stay at SP, email your booking info (confirmation#, contract#, reservation#, etc) to convention@ccgtcc.com to let David Spragg know you're staying on property but didn't use the club code. He might be able to get us credit for your stay.
- If you booked somewhere else, cancel and rebook at the South Point, even if it costs you a few extra dollars (this one requires a "pretty please", right?)
- If you booked elsewhere, shorten that stay at the other property and book some nights at the SP using our code.
If you have any questions, reach out to David Spragg, convention@ccgtcc.com.
Thanks -- barry
#13
General Discussion / The Greg Susong Memorial Award
Last post by Tom Hertel LM-1932 - May 18, 2026, 12:26 PMWe would like to thank all of the members that took the time to vote for the Greg Susong Award. The turn out this year was outstanding.
Thank you,
Barbara & Thomas Hartel
Co Chairmans
Thank you,
Barbara & Thomas Hartel
Co Chairmans
#14
Events / Re: Summer Issue - Expected sh...
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - May 16, 2026, 02:30 AMI launched the preview of the auction yesterday. I wasn't going to print a catalogue because everyone can see all of the items online.
That said, I asked for feedback on the auction and two people said having a printed catalogue is going to be important to some people, so I'm going to see what I can do from within the hibid.com system to make that happen.
I can easily enough print columns from the spreadsheet I use, but there are no pictures in the spreadsheet.
Anyway, give me a few days to see what I can put together. I will be bringing my color printer to the convention, so we can do print-on-demand then if needed.
That said, I asked for feedback on the auction and two people said having a printed catalogue is going to be important to some people, so I'm going to see what I can do from within the hibid.com system to make that happen.
I can easily enough print columns from the spreadsheet I use, but there are no pictures in the spreadsheet.
Anyway, give me a few days to see what I can put together. I will be bringing my color printer to the convention, so we can do print-on-demand then if needed.
#15
Events / Re: Summer Issue - Expected sh...
Last post by Jim Steffner HLM-1508-HON - May 14, 2026, 05:25 AMWhen is auction catalog due out?
#16
General Discussion / 2025 Greg Susong Memorial Awar...
Last post by Tom Hertel LM-1932 - May 04, 2026, 12:42 PMYou have 8 more days to get your 2025 Ballot in. We have had a great turnout so far. You can find Ballots on the Club Webpage or use the one that was in your latest Club Magazine.
All Ballots Must be Postmark or E-Mail By Deadline: May 11,2026
Barbara & Thomas Hartel
Co-Chairmans
All Ballots Must be Postmark or E-Mail By Deadline: May 11,2026
Barbara & Thomas Hartel
Co-Chairmans
#17
General Discussion / Need articles for the Summer i...
Last post by Steven Miller LM-1069-245 - Apr 26, 2026, 12:25 PMToday is April 26th, and I am working on the magazine. I am missing many articles promised. I can see that I will need more than those promised to complete this issue. This is your magazine, no articles, it does not matter if it is printed or electronic.
#18
General Discussion / Greg Susong Memorial Award
Last post by Tom Hertel LM-1932 - Apr 20, 2026, 02:57 PM22 more days to get your VOTE in. We have had a great turn out so far.
You can mail it in or send it by email. Ballot can be found in the latest club magazine or on the club website. Voting eands on May 11, 2026
We thank everyone for their support and voting.
Barbars & Thomas Hartel
Cochair's
You can mail it in or send it by email. Ballot can be found in the latest club magazine or on the club website. Voting eands on May 11, 2026
We thank everyone for their support and voting.
Barbars & Thomas Hartel
Cochair's
#19
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 09:29 AMThat actually puts you in a pretty favorable position—an educational 501(c)(3) like the Casino Collectibles Association can justify member-to-member sales more easily than most nonprofits, as long as it's framed correctly.
Here's how it applies specifically to your situation:
✅ Why it can work for you
Because your mission is educational around casino collectibles, a marketplace can be positioned as:
Supporting study, preservation, and exchange of artifacts
Helping collectors access authentic items for research/education
Encouraging historical knowledge sharing tied to items
That creates a clear mission connection, which is the key test.
⚠️ Where you need to be careful
1. Don't let it become the main purpose
If your site starts to feel like:
"A marketplace for buying/selling chips"
instead of:
"An educational organization with a member exchange feature"
—you risk IRS scrutiny.
2. Avoid "private benefit" issues
You must not:
Promote specific sellers disproportionately
Give insiders (admins, board members) advantages
Structure things so the primary outcome is member profit
Members can benefit—but it must be incidental, not the purpose.
3. Revenue structure matters (UBIT risk)
If you monetize, here's how it breaks down:
Safer approaches:
Flat listing fees tied to cost recovery
Optional donations
Member dues that include access
Higher risk:
Taking a % commission on each sale (looks like a business)
Scaling into a major revenue stream
If it does generate meaningful revenue, you may owe Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).
4. Keep the educational layer visible
This is where many orgs fail.
You should explicitly tie listings to education, for example:
Require descriptions with historical context
Link items to guides, archives, or catalog entries
Encourage discussion threads about items
Maintain a reference database alongside listings
💡 Smart structure (what I'd recommend)
Think of it as:
"Collector Exchange + Education Hub", not a marketplace.
Concrete setup:
Listings allowed for members only
No or minimal commissions (or very small, cost-based)
Each item optionally links to:
provenance info
rarity notes
related articles
Include disclaimers: you are not the seller
Keep it clearly a member benefit, not a public commercial platform
🚫 What would get you in trouble
Running it like eBay for casino chips
Making it a primary revenue driver
Marketing the org mainly around buying/selling
Preferential treatment for certain sellers
No educational framing at all
👍 Bottom line
Yes—this is one of the better use cases for a 501(c)(3) member marketplace.
You just need to:
Keep it mission-first
Ensure member profit is incidental
Avoid operating like a full commercial platform
Here's how it applies specifically to your situation:
✅ Why it can work for you
Because your mission is educational around casino collectibles, a marketplace can be positioned as:
Supporting study, preservation, and exchange of artifacts
Helping collectors access authentic items for research/education
Encouraging historical knowledge sharing tied to items
That creates a clear mission connection, which is the key test.
⚠️ Where you need to be careful
1. Don't let it become the main purpose
If your site starts to feel like:
"A marketplace for buying/selling chips"
instead of:
"An educational organization with a member exchange feature"
—you risk IRS scrutiny.
2. Avoid "private benefit" issues
You must not:
Promote specific sellers disproportionately
Give insiders (admins, board members) advantages
Structure things so the primary outcome is member profit
Members can benefit—but it must be incidental, not the purpose.
3. Revenue structure matters (UBIT risk)
If you monetize, here's how it breaks down:
Safer approaches:
Flat listing fees tied to cost recovery
Optional donations
Member dues that include access
Higher risk:
Taking a % commission on each sale (looks like a business)
Scaling into a major revenue stream
If it does generate meaningful revenue, you may owe Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).
4. Keep the educational layer visible
This is where many orgs fail.
You should explicitly tie listings to education, for example:
Require descriptions with historical context
Link items to guides, archives, or catalog entries
Encourage discussion threads about items
Maintain a reference database alongside listings
💡 Smart structure (what I'd recommend)
Think of it as:
"Collector Exchange + Education Hub", not a marketplace.
Concrete setup:
Listings allowed for members only
No or minimal commissions (or very small, cost-based)
Each item optionally links to:
provenance info
rarity notes
related articles
Include disclaimers: you are not the seller
Keep it clearly a member benefit, not a public commercial platform
🚫 What would get you in trouble
Running it like eBay for casino chips
Making it a primary revenue driver
Marketing the org mainly around buying/selling
Preferential treatment for certain sellers
No educational framing at all
👍 Bottom line
Yes—this is one of the better use cases for a 501(c)(3) member marketplace.
You just need to:
Keep it mission-first
Ensure member profit is incidental
Avoid operating like a full commercial platform
#20
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 09:26 AMAll of which we meet No grey....