If I’m paying for my goods and services with actual money, but using prop money for tips, is that bad? In my understanding, tips are given of one’s own free will and would be considered a gift to the recipient, the same as if I gave flowers or cookies as a tip. I’ve also seen fake money passed off by religious people that looks fully real on one side, and has church propaganda on the other side.
This is a hypothetical question that came up when assembling a gag gift for my kid from my parent. I don’t plan on doing it (though, there are some instances where it’d be VERY tempting…), but it does make me curious.
I edited my comment about strip clubs right when you posted this. There’s a legal gray area in my opinion by using it for tipping. If you’ve already received the service, you really can’t be committing fraud. Essentially, the producers can easily say the thing is not meant to commit fraud because it’s obviously not real money. But if you personally passed it off as money anyway and received something for it, you’d get nailed.