Start Date

6-1-2011 4:00 PM

End Date

6-1-2011 4:45 PM

Track

2. Track 2 - Poster Session

Subject Area

Hospitality and Tourism Education

Faculty Member

James D. McGlothlin jdm3@purdue.edu SooCheong (Shawn) Jang jang12@purdue.edu Barbara Almanza almanzab@purdue.edu

Abstract

Those that work in and the customers who enjoy the casino environment may be at risk for exposure to infectious diseases, especially bacterial diseases. The purpose of this study to determine if and what type of bacterial microorganisms live on gaming chips. A total of 26 gaming chips (13 used actively in a casino and 13 never used) were utilized for the study. Swabs of the chips were performed and placed on blood agar Petri dishes where cultures were allowed to grow for 48 hours. The results of this growth showed a statistically significant number of bacteria and fungi development with a p < 0.05. Additional statistical analysis was performed on the level of contamination based on used versus unused chips and on the location of the swab related to the obverse, reverse or rim of the chip, with overall results being statistically significant for the presence of pathogenic contaminants.

Keywords

Casino, Gaming, Sanitation, Tourism

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Jan 6th, 4:00 PM Jan 6th, 4:45 PM

Sanitation of Gaming Chips

Those that work in and the customers who enjoy the casino environment may be at risk for exposure to infectious diseases, especially bacterial diseases. The purpose of this study to determine if and what type of bacterial microorganisms live on gaming chips. A total of 26 gaming chips (13 used actively in a casino and 13 never used) were utilized for the study. Swabs of the chips were performed and placed on blood agar Petri dishes where cultures were allowed to grow for 48 hours. The results of this growth showed a statistically significant number of bacteria and fungi development with a p < 0.05. Additional statistical analysis was performed on the level of contamination based on used versus unused chips and on the location of the swab related to the obverse, reverse or rim of the chip, with overall results being statistically significant for the presence of pathogenic contaminants.