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McDonald's Monopoly peel-off tokens

The McDonald's Monopoly game is a sales promotion run by fast food restaurant chain McDonald's, with a theme based on the Hasbro board game Monopoly. The game first ran in the U.S. in 1987 and has since been used worldwide.

The promotion has used other names, such as Monopoly: Pick Your Prize! (2001), Monopoly Best Chance Game (2003–2005), Monopoly/Millionaire Game (2013), Prize Vault (2014), Money Monopoly (2016–present), Coast To Coast (2015–2024) Double Play (2024-present) in Canada, Golden Chances (2015), Prize Choice (2016), Win Win (2017), Wiiiin!! (2018), V.I.P. (2021), Double Peel (2022, 2023)[1] and Power Peel (2024) in the UK.

History

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The promotion was first offered in the United States, in 1987. Following countries included Canada,[2] Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. Argentina and Brazil were included in 2013 as well as South Korea in 2014[3] and Ireland in 2016. From 2003 to 2009, Best Buy was involved in the U.S. version, and later[when?] in the Canadian version.

Like many merchants, McDonald's offered sweepstakes to draw customers into its restaurants. Laws generally forbid a company from administering its own contests, in order to prevent fraud and to ensure that all prizes are given away; as a result, such promotions are handled by an impartial third-party company.[4] McDonald's had a relationship with Simon Worldwide Inc., which was responsible for the distribution of the contest pieces and the awarding of major prizes.[citation needed]

In 2015, the Monopoly game was replaced in the US by "Game Time Gold", using an NFL theme.[5]

In 2020, in the UK, it was intended to run in March that year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion was postponed.[6] Instead, the same promotion "Monopoly VIP" was instead run in 2021.[7] As a result of its being postponed, the stickers for that year's promotion had incorrect dates, as they were originally printed the year prior.[8]

Gameplay

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Example of a variety of tokens from the UK version of the game, 2014 (serial numbers redacted)

The promotion mimics the game Monopoly. The game is also advertised with tokens appearing in Sunday newspapers.[9][10] Originally, customers received a set of two tokens with every purchase, but now tokens come only with certain menu items. Tokens correspond to a property space on the Monopoly board (with the exception of the Golden Avenue/Arches Avenue "properties", which were added in the 2008 edition; and Electric Company/Water Works utilities added in 2014). When combined into color-matched properties, the tokens may be redeemed for money. Historically, the grand prize ($1 million, annuity only) has been the combination of the two most costly properties, Park Place and Boardwalk, but in the 2006–2007 games the top prize ($5 million, with the traditional $1 million prize for Boardwalk/Park Place) was awarded for collecting the four railroads.

There are also "instant win" tokens the recipient can redeem for McDonald's food (typically small menu items, such as a free small McFlurry or medium fries) but never for any food item that has game pieces, money, or other prizes. The 2001 edition was titled "Pick Your Prize!", in which winners could choose which of three ways they wanted their prize awarded (i.e., they could choose gold, diamonds, or $50,000 per year for 20 years).

In 2016, the game changed so that all available prizes were cash, including the $1 million for Park Place and Boardwalk, and was titled "Money Monopoly".[11]

Coupon pieces

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Additionally, in the 2005 edition, certain foods always came with one coupon which could be used at either Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, or Foot Locker (including online stores). The value of each coupon was random, with Toys R Us coupons ranging from $1 to $5; up to $5 in coupons could be used in a single transaction. In 2008, these coupons were redeemed for up to 25% off any Foot Locker item(s). Since 2009, the promotion has not featured any coupons.

Canadian and US laws require that game pieces be available upon request with no purchase necessary (Alternative Method of Entry, "AMOE"),[citation needed] and can be requested by the mailing of a handwritten, self-addressed stamped envelope.[12]

Unclaimed prizes

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Many of the prizes stay unclaimed. For example, in 2018, 25 million instant food prizes were offered in the promotion in the UK.[13] However, only 8 million prizes were claimed overall.[14] Out of 20 Mini Coopers offered, only 6 were claimed.[14][15]

Rare pieces in US/Canada

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The rare collectible pieces that dictate the odds of winning are as follows:

Property 2019 Canadian Name[a][16] 2019 prize 2018 prize 2017 prize 2016 prize 2014 prize 2013 prize 2012 prize 2011 prize 2010 prize 2009 prize
Mediterranean Avenue[b] Rideau Canal 2020 Chevrolet Equinox Xbox One Forza Bundle $150,000 $50[c] $50[d] $1,000[e] $50[d]
Vermont Avenue Mackenzie River Yamaha Wolverine X4 EPS Yamaha Family Grizzly ATV Bundle 2 Yamaha SnoScoot Snowmobiles & 250 Yamabucks gift cards $1,000[f] Shell fuel for 1 Year[g] $5,000[h] $5,000 $100
Virginia Avenue Percé Rock $10,000 $2,000[i] $5,000 $10,000[j] Beach Resort Vacation $200 Spa Certificate
Tennessee Avenue Tunnels of Moose Jaw Cineplex Premiere Card for winner & guest for 1 Year $5,000[k] Softcard Mobile Wallet Prize + $2,500 for wireless service[l] EA Sports Super Bowl XLVIII trip for 2[m] $10,000 Beach Resort Vacation $1,000 $5,000
Kentucky Avenue Confederation Bridge $5,000 in Prepaid MasterCard Gift Card $10,000[n] Any Delta Air Lines Vacations Destination for 2 $50,000 Beaches Resorts Vacation $10,000
Ventnor Avenue Whistler Cabela's $2,000 Gift Card Cabela's Barbeque Package Cabela's Camping Package $25,000[o] Beaches Resorts Vacation $20,000[p] $20,000 $100,000 $25,000
Pennsylvania Avenue Portage and Memorial $2,000 Hudson's Bay Gift Card $50,000[q] Cessna Private Jet Trip 2014 Fiat 500L[r] 2013 Fiat 500 Sport Hatchback 2012 Nissan Leaf or 370z $50,000
Boardwalk Fairmont Le Château Frontenac 5,000,000 RBC Rewards Points or CAN$50,000 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SUV $1,000,000[s] $1,000,000[t] $1,000,000[u] $1,000,000[t]
Short Line Vancouver International Airport Air Transat trip to Playa del Carmen for 4 Air Transat trip to Riviera Maya for 4 3,000 WestJet Dollars $500[v] $5,000 Target Shopping Experience on Black Friday[w] Shell Fuel for 1 Year[x] EA SPORTS Fan Trip Championship Get-A-Way EA SPORTS Trip $500
Reading Railroad Route Transcan Highway Esso/Mobil $2,600 Gift Card "Petrol for 52 Weeks" Shell "Fuel for a Year"
  1. ^ In 2016, the Canadian version replaced all properties with Canadian landmarks (such as replacing Boardwalk with Le Château Frontenac, and swapping Kentucky Avenue with the Confederation Bridge) and replaced all train stations with well-known Canadian airports, including Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport.
  2. ^ Until 2007, Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues were dark purple properties on the traditional Monopoly board; since 2008, they have been brown.
  3. ^ CA$100 in Canada
  4. ^ a b Paid in McDonald's gift cards in Canada.
  5. ^ CA$25 McDonald's gift card in Canada
  6. ^ Berkley Family Equipment Package in Canada
  7. ^ $2,500 in Canada
  8. ^ $50 McDonald's gift card in Canada
  9. ^ CA$10,000 in Canada
  10. ^ $20,000 in Canada
  11. ^ Cineplex Premiere card in Canada
  12. ^ $5,000 Wal-Mart Gift Card in Canada
  13. ^ $5,000 Wal-Mart Gift Card in Canada
  14. ^ $5,000 in Vanilla Prepaid Gift Cards in Canada
  15. ^ Polaris Snowmobile in Canada
  16. ^ $10,000 in Canada
  17. ^ $2,000 Hudson's Bay gift card in Canada
  18. ^ 2013 Fiat POP in Canada
  19. ^ in annuity, 2017 Volkswagen Golf SportsWagen in Canada
  20. ^ a b as an annuity
  21. ^ as an annuity, $100,000 for Canada
  22. ^ A "dream vacation" in Canada
  23. ^ $1,000 in Canada
  24. ^ $5,000 in Canada

In 2013, McDonald's allowed two Boardwalk pieces to be produced; prior to this only one was produced. McDonald's added Golden Avenue and Arches Avenue for 2008 only; obtaining both won $100,000. For 2014 only, McDonald's added Electric Company and Water Works; obtaining both won $10,000. For 2014 only, Free Parking was added, with a $100,000 prize.

Online games

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In 2005, McDonald's introduced an online counterpart to its traditional game. In addition to the traditional "sticker" game, participants can play online. Each game piece lists a code which can be entered online, to a maximum of 10 entries per 24 hours, a day starts at midnight EDT. Up to 2014, each code entered grants the user one roll on a virtual Monopoly game board, identical to the board game's board. Rolling "doubles" (two dice sharing the same number), as with the real board game, allows the user to move again.

Landing on Electric Company, Income Tax, Jail/Just Visiting, Go to Jail, Water Works, or Luxury Tax does not count towards any prize. If a player lands on an unowned property (not landed upon by the player in a previous turn), the user will "collect" that property. When all properties of a colored set are collected, the user wins a prize, with prize values similar to those of the sticker game. In addition to collecting property sets, users can also win by landing on certain "instant win" spaces, including Go, Chance, Community Chest, and Free Parking. Landing on Go (but not simply passing it) gives the player a code worth one free hour of WiFi access at participating McDonald's restaurants. Landing on Chance is worth money to spend at Foot Locker. Landing on Community Chest allows the user to be given a code worth 25 My Coke Rewards points. Landing on Free Parking is a prize of a $50 refillable gas card from Shell, or alternatively 25 complimentary apple pies.

In 2007, landing on Community Chest won game downloads.[17]

In 2009, the prizes became two hours of Wi-Fi and a $25 Arch Card for landing on Go, an entry into an online roll for $1,000,000 (annuity) for landing on Chance, 25 My Coke Rewards points for landing on Community Chest, and a $50 refillable Shell gift card for landing on Free Parking.

The values of the dice are not random. As stated in the contest rules, one property in each set is "rare," similar to the sticker game. These rare properties are landed on only when the game server "seeds" a winning roll. Winning rolls are seeded at specific times on specific dates, and the first user to roll the dice once a win has been seeded will land on a winning piece. This allows McDonald's to declare the odds of winning certain prizes, a legal requirement for contests in most jurisdictions.

In 2010, the online game was changed, removing the dice and the game board, presenting only 3 Chance cards from which to pick. One has a prize, starting at 30 My Coke Rewards points, but may be (non-randomly) seeded with a higher-valued prize. Player chooses one card, is asked if that is the choice the player wants to make, and the card is flipped. If it is the pre-selected winning card, the player wins the pre-selected prize.

In 2011, the game was changed again – the mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags (aka "Mr. Monopoly"), is shown attempting to throw a Chance card into a top hat. If the card lands in the hat, the player can claim a prize. Players must choose a "throwing style", which only changes the animations used – it does nothing to affect one's odds of winning.

In 2012, the game was changed once more. Players must click on "Spin" first, and if it landed on "GO!", the player wins the online prize shown. The next year, players had to click on "Play"; a win resulted in the prize shown onscreen; regardless of the outcome, players received an entry to win a 2013 Fiat 500 Cabrio. For the 2014 game, players must click on "GO!", and if it results in a win, the online prize is shown onscreen; regardless of the outcome, the participant receives an entry to win $50,000.

In 2016, players can enter up to ten codes daily in order to win weekly sweepstakes with a $50,000 grand prize.

Restrictions

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For all versions of the online game, players are restricted to a set number of online entries per day.[18] In the UK, this is restricted to 24 entries. In the US, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Saipan, the limit is 10.

Players in the UK must be aged 18 years or older.

Note that the official rules state: "The purchase, sale, trading, or barter of Game Pieces, Game Stamps, FREE Codes or Game Codes via Online or live auctions, or any other methods, does not constitute Legitimate Channels and is expressly prohibited."[18] This includes eBay.com, where it is also a violation of that site's lottery policy.

Criticism

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The promotion has been criticized for incentivizing ordering more and upsizing the portions.[13][19][20] In 2019, Deputy Leader of the UK Labour Party, Tom Watson, said that the Monopoly promotion was a "danger to public health" and urged McDonald's to drop the "grotesque marketing strategy".[20][21]

Fraud

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In 2001, the U.S. promotion was halted after fraud was uncovered. A subcontracting company, Simon Marketing (then a subsidiary of Cyrk), which had been hired by McDonald's to organize and promote the game, failed to recognize a flaw in its procedures. Simon's chief of security Jerome P. Jacobson ("Uncle Jerry"), a former police officer, stole the most valuable game pieces.[22][23] Jacobson justified his long-running multimillion-dollar crime as his reaction to Simon executives having rerun randomized draws to ensure that high-level prizes went to areas in the United States rather than Canada, although he did not take the stolen pieces to Canada.[23] He began stealing winning game pieces after a supplier mistakenly provided him a sheet of the anti-tamper seals needed to securely conduct the legitimate transfer of winning pieces. Jacobson first offered the game pieces to friends and family but eventually began selling them to Gennaro "Jerry" Colombo of the Colombo crime family, whom he had met by chance at the Atlanta airport.[24] Colombo would then recruit people to act as contest winners in exchange for half of the winnings.[22][23]

In 1995, Colombo appeared in a nationally televised McDonald's commercial promoting his (fraudulent) win of a Dodge Viper.[25] In 1995, St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, received an anonymous letter with a Dallas, Texas, postmark that contained a $1 million winning game piece. Although game rules prohibited the transfer of prizes, McDonald's awarded the $1 million as a donation to the hospital, making the final $50,000 annuity payment in 2014.[26][27] Investigations later revealed that Jacobson had admitted to sending the winning piece to the hospital.[28] In June 1996, Colombo's father-in-law William "Buddy" Fisher came forward as a winner with a stolen $1 million Monopoly piece.[29] After Colombo died in a 1998 traffic accident, Jacobson found new accomplices to help him sell the stolen game pieces.[24]

Jacobson's associates and those of his collaborators won almost all of the top prizes, including cash and cars, between 1995 and 2000, including McDonald's giveaways outside of the Monopoly promotion.[30] The associates netted over $24 million. While the fraud appeared to have been perpetrated by only one key employee of the promotion company, and not by the company's management, eight people were originally arrested,[31][32] soon growing to 21 indicted people, including members of the Colombo crime family.[33] By the end of the criminal prosecutions, 53 people were indicted, of whom 48 pled guilty: 46 in pretrial plea agreements and two who changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty during their trials.[26]

McDonald's severed its relationship with Simon Marketing and each company filed lawsuits against the other for breach of contract that were eventually settled out of court. The case brought forth by McDonald's was dismissed but Simon received $16.6 million.[34][35] Four of the putative winners convicted of fraud had their convictions reversed on appeal on grounds of a constitutional violation, as they did not know Jacobson and thus did not know that the winning game pieces were necessarily stolen.[36][37]

Jacobson pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida, and served three years in federal prison. The trial began on September 10, 2001, but was overshadowed in the media by the September 11 attacks that occurred the next day.

In August 2018, 20th Century Fox announced plans for a film based on the Jacobson fraud, with Ben Affleck attached as director, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese as writers and Matt Damon in an acting role.[38][39] While there have been no further updates on the plans for the film, the controversy is depicted in the 2020 HBO docuseries McMillions.[40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Monopoly Consumer Rules 2022". www.mcdonalds.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Business Insider". Business Insider. October 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. ^ "맥도날드, '모노폴리 프로모션' 유럽·호주 여행 당첨자 나왔다". The Asia Business Daily. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "What should I do if I suspect fraudulent activity on my account?". www.mcdonalds.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  5. ^ McDonald's Plays on Love for NFL Teams in New Giveaway Game Archived April 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine November 2015
  6. ^ "You know what's coming. And this year it's going to be even more special. Watch this space..." Twitter. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Online Game Code Entry | Monopoly at McDonald's 2021". September 7, 2021. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "NEWS | MONOPOLY promotion at McDonald's | Online Game". September 2, 2021. Archived from the original on September 2, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  9. ^ Albrecht, W. Steve; Albrecht, Chad O.; Albrecht, Conan C.; Zimbelman, Mark F. (April 2, 2015). Fraud Examination. Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781305840485. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2018 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "FindLaw Legal Blogs - FindLaw" (PDF). News.findlaw.com. November 18, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Lee, Chris (August 10, 2018). "Behind Hollywood's A-List Bidding War for a McDonald's Monopoly Article". vulture.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  12. ^ "2016 Money MONOPOLY Game at McDonald's | Online Game". Playatmcd.com. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ a b Boseley, Sarah (April 7, 2018). "McDonald's Monopoly promotion attacked by health campaigners". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Atkin, Elizabeth (September 3, 2021). "Has anyone in the UK ever won McDonald's Monopoly?". Metro. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Forsey, Zoe (March 22, 2018). "McDonald's Monopoly UK is back! Here's everything on the 2018 game including prizes, when it ends and all the latest news". The Mirror. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Monopoly at McDonalds". Bizzia.com. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009.
  18. ^ a b "Official Rules". McDonald's Monopoly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  19. ^ Woodvine, Stanley Q. (October 26, 2018). "Homeless in Vancouver: McDonald's exercise in upsizing still has a Monopoly on confusing". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  20. ^ a b "McDonald's: Tom Watson urges chain to drop Monopoly campaign". BBC News. March 17, 2019. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  21. ^ Savage, Michael (March 17, 2019). "Tom Watson urges McDonald's to cancel 'danger to health' campaign". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Stout, David (August 22, 2001). "Eight Charged With Rigging McDonald's Prize Contests". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  23. ^ a b c Maysh, Jeff (July 28, 2018). "How an Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald's Monopoly Game and Stole Millions: Jerome Jacobson and his network of mobsters, psychics, strip club owners, and drug traffickers won almost every prize for 12 years, until the FBI launched Operation 'Final Answer'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  24. ^ a b Hanbury, Mary (July 31, 2018). "A former cop masterminded a scheme to win nearly $24 million in the McDonald's Monopoly game. Here's how he pulled it off". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Infamous Clips (February 12, 2020). Jerry Colombo McMillions Monopoly McDonalds Commercial (1995) (YouTube). Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Episode 6". McMillion$. Season 1. Episode 6. HBO Documentary Film. March 9, 2020. HBO.
  27. ^ Donor Turns Fast Food Into Big Bucks For Hospital Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times.
  28. ^ St. Judes' Mystery Million Came From Embezzler Archived October 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, CNN transcript, September 11, 2001.
  29. ^ "Episode 2". McMillion$. Season 1. Episode 2. HBO Documentary Film. February 10, 2020. HBO.
  30. ^ Staff writers (September 11, 2001). "21 persons indicted in McDonald's scam". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  31. ^ "Eight Arrested for Defrauding McDonald's Corp. and its Customers in Promotional Prize Contests" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Press Office. August 21, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2020. However, prior to distribution, a [Simon Marketing Inc.] employee embezzled the winning high-value game pieces and conspired to have individuals fraudulently claim to be winners. The complaint alleges that Jerome Jacobson, an employee in the security department of the Lawrenceville, Georgia office of Simon Marketing, and other persons outside of Simon, were the ultimate distributors of the prize pieces for the promotional games.
  32. ^ "#422: 08-21-01 EIGHT ARRESTED FOR DEFRAUDING MCDONALD'S CORP. AND ITS CUSTOMERS IN PROMOTIONAL PRIZE CONTESTS | Arrests Made in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Indiana and Wisconsin as Part of Nationwide Operation "Final Answer"" (Press release). United States Department of Justice. August 21, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  33. ^ Associated Press. Twenty-one indicted in McDonald's scam Archived July 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, St. Petersburg Times, September 11, 2001.
  34. ^ "McDonald's to Pay Simon $16.6 Million Settlement". New York Times. August 20, 2003. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  35. ^ "McDonald's, Simon Marketing Sue Each Other". Chief Marketer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  36. ^ United States v. Chandler Archived February 3, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, 388 F.3d 796 (11th Cir. 2004)
  37. ^ "USA Today". USA Today. July 20, 2004. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  38. ^ McNary, Dave (August 2, 2018). "Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Team for Movie About a McDonald's Monopoly Scheme". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  39. ^ "Ben Affleck, Matt Damon re-team for McDonald's Monopoly scam movie". Fast Company. August 3, 2018. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  40. ^ "McMillions: Official Website". Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
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