Monopoly Money Gives Way To Credit Cards
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A British version of the classic Monopoly board game released this week substitutes a Visa-imprinted debit card for money.
“We started looking at what Monopoly would look like if we designed it today,”said Chris Weatherhead, a British-based spokesman for Hasbro Inc., which makes the best-selling board game. “We noticed consumers are using debit cards, carrying around cash a lot less.”
British players might not be the only ones switching to plastic. Officials at Pawtucket-based Hasbro say they’re considering a similar change for American versions.
In the new British version of Monopoly Here & Now, players type amounts into a palm-size scanner and swipe their debit cards to seal the deal.
The game had been modernized in many other ways. Some addresses have changed — and the game now includes Kensington Palace Gardens, near Buckingham Palace, and Notting Hill Gate.
Cards that once rewarded players for winning a beauty contest now compensate them for winning a reality TV show. Completing a full circuit around the board is worth 2 million English pounds, not 200.
