Bellagio Casino To Do Away With $25,000 Chips To Force Hand Of Motorcycle Thief

The Bellagio Casino is nixing its $25,000 chip. The action comes as the hotel tries to force the hand of the motorcycle thief who swiped $1.5 million in chips earlier this month. The Bellagio is reportedly giving gamblers holding the big-money chips until April 22 to redeem them

A spokesman for MGM Resorts, which owns the Bellagio, said the hotel tried to discontinue the chips immediately after the heist.

"Obviously, anyone walking with one of the old series is going to be subject to a certain amount of questioning as to how they obtained them — assuming it isn't someone we know,"  MGM Resorts spokesman Alan Feldman said. "It's pretty unusual for someone we don't know to come strolling up with a handful of $25,000 chips."

The armed robber, who wore a motorcycle helmet while holding up a craps table, vanished with chips ranging from $100 to $25,000.