Monopoly ditches cash, goes plastic
By Darren Murph 
posted Jul 24th 2006 9:55PM
posted Jul 24th 2006 9:55PM
While Monopoly is the paragon of good 'ole fashioned board game fun, the "old fashioned" part had to go. Parker Brothers is phasing out the cash-based version's funmoney and replacing it with an "Electronic Banking" flavor that could leave Mr. Moneybags turning his pockets inside out as his stash is replaced by a magnetic strip. New kits are completely devoid of the famous multi-colored bills; instead, you'll find phoney Visa debit cards and a calculator / reader which keeps a running tabulation of your riches -- or lack thereof. A deal was struck with Visa to design the mock cards and readers, presumably after surveys showed that 70% of adults used cash less often now than they did a decade ago (no surprise there). When asked about the dramatic change, Parker said replacing cash with plastic "showed the game was moving with the times." For those anxious to get their swipe on, or if you've simply forgotten how to use bills, the new version will set you back £24.99, while the now "antiquated" cash version can be had for £12.99, but only while supplies last.
In the era of electronic games consist of online video games,casino online and online sports games, board games still haven't lost their value which is a good thing.
NEXT STEEP MARK OF THE BEAST anyone that buys this is promoting the next steep America please wake up before it is to late prisonplanet.tv
Maybe if Monopoly didn't get rid of cash all together, it wouldn't be so bad. However, they did and that's why the game is awful. On the bright side, there is a new game coming out called Charge-Large, which teaches credit card management, and still utilizes cash!!!!!!! This game is awesome.
http://www.chargelargegame.com
Sorry Monopoly and Hasbro, eccentric Billionaire Charlie Large hit the mark with the Charge Large Board Game...Colleges and High School are already implementing the game into their curriculum and even orientation. Not too mention who doesn't want their Black Charge Card??? What??? Oh yeah, the young entrepreneurs teamed-up with the mogul, Charlie Large, and they took the best of the old board games and now players start with an entry level gold credit card and upon using their credit properly players become eligible to upgrade to the platinum card and then the black card! Woot woot! Game is great, the guys were at Princeton a few weeks back! The Charge Large Board Game is the next innovative thing, it's educational and is our country's financial literacy and credit card management education!
Are they really that out of ideas?
Well, on the bright side, no more cheating!
geez, first they talk about phasing out the pennies in the US, now their phasing out cash all together in Monopoly? Well...i guess their effort for moving on with the times was done well lol.
No joke: I literally read this as Microsoft ditches cash, goes plastic. :(
I've got to say this kind of seems lame. I actually remember that playing monopoly as a kid actually helped a bit with math and perhaps even with the idea of handling money. Having to sit there and add up the money, etc. was pretty fun anyway. Seems kind of goofy to have to use a credit card or whatever. Although one perk I guess would be not running out of monopoly money. Still, I hope the regular monopoly money version of this game is still available somehow.
I like the subtle branding that Visa managed to get on the electronic banking unit.
The money is what makes the game FUN. With a credit card, now how do you know how much money you have available at a glance? Do you have to wait for your monthly bank statement? I'm assuming when you pass GO you now have direct deposit. I wonder what interest and bank fees are involved.
Geez, no wonder our kids won't be able to do math. They will never notice with the Diebolt 2015 Cash Delivery System starts charging a 50% service fee.
I think it's brilliant! Board game hackers can't be far behind They'll be called Brackers...
Hey, I own Meditarranean Avenue. What?? You want to pay me $2 with Visa?? Sheesh, never mind, get the hell off my property.
They should take this all the way and have bar codes on the property titles so the exact amount is charged for purchase, mortgage and paying off the mortgage (Who wants to have to figure out the 10% fee when you have plastic?)
Or better yet, RFID in the tokens and houses/hotels so rent is automatically deducted from the payer.
IMHO - My kids and I will always play with the colored money.
You can print your own replacement money from Hasbro's site...
http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/pl/page.treasurechest/dn/default.cfm
It can help when you're getting a little low on funds, excuse yourself to make a little popcorn, print off a page of $50s.
These guys had it first:
http://www.uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/07/7102/
Gettin the corporate logo into the kids' heads as early as possible, right?
What about visa's service charge fee??? Where's the reality in that?
This is a sad, sad, sad day.
Every Christmas Eve me and my family sit down at the table and play Monopoly. Its a tradition. We play until we cannot sit up anymore(funnier in the morning too when our parents don't want to get up!LOL).
Playing with money was the best part. I would play on a "team" with my mom and my sister with my dad. We would "loan" money to each other...
There is no fun left now.
I know that it was kinda lame that you could only play monopoly once because(little brothers would open the box and lose all the money or eat it) all the money would be gone. Thats was ok though.
Money is what made it fun.
Shame on you Parker Brothers. Shame on you.....
This is so awesome. No more messing with a big mess of cash :)
Great idea! Let's teach kids that you can just swipe a card and everything is paid for. This is why the majority of Americans are $30k in debt -- because they're stupid and don't realize that when they swipe the AmEx card they are actually spending money (that they often do not have).
Flipping lamest thing I've ever seen. I hope Visa and Parker Brothers both die tomorrow.
OH GOD! Please tell me that it is April 1st. PLEASE. Some how I must have messed up every calendar I come in contact with, my summer vacation isn't really happening and I'm still in school.
They just did this to save money.
Paper money is the way to go. Having all of those stacks of money layed out and tucked under the edge of the board simply for the intimidation value...you can't throw off other players games by waving a plastic card at them...they have to be able to see the quantity of deep sh*t they are in at all times.
This is the New Coke of board games. It won't last. Or at least they'll charge you extra for a paper-money pack.
Looks like VISA has the monopoly on the Monopoly market. Personally, I have no interest in paying for games where sponsors are in my face. I paid for the game. It should be free from advertising.
I fail to see why the paper-money version has to be phased out. That's what makes it fun and tangible. Again, VISA no doubt smiling all the way. Parker Brothers management have no clue whatsoever. This decision will be reversed.
If i tallied this up right, that makes 2 for the idea and 15 against (16 counting me). If I didn't mind being possibly banned from engadget blogs, I would lenghten this up w/ a few strong obsceneties at both Parker Brothers and VISA. This is hands down the second lamest idea I have ever heard (first was the Nintendo "Wii", but thats another blog).
To see that I was pwning with my large stash of cash was the only fun thing about the game.
So, what's next? Hm...how about cc's in poker? =]
Oh thats just lame. Not only did they go and make it electronical cashola, but they had to go and stick Visa on it too :(
Half the fun of Monopoly was to cheat, and mess around with the money.
A turn for the worse I say.
"Well, on the bright side, no more cheating!"
But the cheating is what makes it fun. Half the fun is changing the rules and doing outrageous things ($500 for landing on free parking anyone ?). Besides, as one other poster mentioned, this games helps young ones learn simple math and other life lessons. After all...
Cheating is a part of life. And so is being cheated. Forewarned is forearmed.
Besides, without the cash the kids of the future won't know the joy of successfully completing a deal with a vicious opponent to aqcuire the green monoply, thus using all available cash. Well, actually that's not so great...the fun part is then pulling out the massive wad of cash you had squirreled away under the table that had your oponent known you had it, would NEVER have agreed to the deal. Watching his/her 'top of the world' sneer turn to ashes as they eye your knot, right before the hotels start blooming like mushrooms clouds.
Sliding a card can't replace that...
I agree with 'tekdroid', there's no reason to do away with the money (even if you can print your own). They didn't 86 the physical version of the game when the various forms of monopoly started appearing on computers and console systems, why do this ? Just offer the stupid card thing as an accessory one can CHOOSE to buy.
If anything they should computerize the DICE so you don't slowly bounce hotels and houses off their proper spaces...or knock them over all together.
Then again...blowing on a 6x6 digital randomizer doesn't have the Las Vegas chic of blowing on dice...
Bah...it's a board game...just leave it old school...
Boy this sucks, I was just playing Monopoly a few weeks ago, and I loved flashing all the cash that I had in their faces, and at the end of the game its always fun to have a money fight. So now what? I flash a debit card into my oponents faces, when each of us have the exact same card, with the same number? Where's the fun in that? And what if you loose all your money, and have mortaged yourself out to the max? What your opponent cuts up your card? I mean what about the monthly fees, APR and all that crud, "Okay collect 200 dollars for passing GO, oh wait I am sorry sir you have been having too many late fees lately, I am afraid you can't have this money." Heck they even had to get VISA involved! "Monopoly a subsidary of VISA INC." Ugh, just makes you want to take your credit card and cut it up into a billion tiny pieces.
This is rubbish. I'm with the majority of all the other posts - the money is the best thing about Monopoly.
Oh - thanks for the link Brandon. I'm going to print out about £100,000 worth of bills and have them stuck up my sleeves for the next game on Christmas Day.
How will Americans mock our colourful Canadian currency? Monopoly money is the quintessential symbol of boardgames (well, that and the little Monopoly pieces, which will be phased out in favour of some sort of brainwave-based, McDonalds-branded system). While I think this is a novel idea, and would fly if sold as a different version of Monopoly, a credit card system replacing the cash is a solution looking for a problem, and it's a s****y solution at that. Oh, and what about lost cards? Do we have to report it stolen to Visa, the pay an unreasonable sum for a replacement.
Paper money will always have a place in my heart.
So much for playing Monopoly all Shabbos :-(
I like the idea. Can't wait to get one of these.
board game - £24.99
christmas wrapper - £1.99
the look on the faces of the kids when the board says that their credit score doesn't let them have a credit card...priceless.
oh, wait, wrong card...dammit.
NOTHING MORE THAN AN ADVERTISING GIMMICK BY VISA THAT THE FAILING MONOPOLY BEAN COUNTERS HOPE WILL REVITALIZE THE COMPANY YOU NEVER CHANGE A WINNING PROGRAM
So what company is going to start selling monopoly cash on the side? I think it is pretty cool, but I always like seeing how much cash my opponent has on them. So when will the board be electrified and whenever my playing piece land on board walk it automatically subtract the fee. Pretty soon you won't have to do anything but roll the dice or they might make that electric as well.
This is such a stupid idea. They'll reverse it when either (a) their sales decreases or (b) they get enough complaints.
And y'all are talking about how the corporate advertising is bad... What about the many versions of Monopoly that are based on different things, like Star Wars, Pokemon, etc.
I got this electronic banking edition of Monopoly about a week ago so the terminal is not new news... just the fact that Hasbro have decided to get rid of the Monoploy Money all together. If you have any questions about please ask and I will be happy to anwser them!
I just sent this story off to my friend at the NY Daily News. This mayhem must stop before it starts.
Hey Andrew, Can you still cheat? What happens when you past GO?
I would almost go and buy this out of curiosity, but I would miss waving my fotune in peoples faces.
I have to agree with Alex above, this is a bad idea.. teaching children to use a credit card :(. It's bad enough most parents don't teach their kids anything about how to use credit responsibly.. mostly because too many parents don't do it themselves ! The TRILLIONS - yes with a "T", of consumer credit card debt in the US is staggering, and getting worse every day. Credit card companies prey on kids on college campuses to lure them into using plastic.. and sinking themselves into more debt on top of crushing student loans.
Noo.. this is a stupid idea. I understand modernization, but it seems pretty obvious by the opinions here that the funny money was THE fun part of the game ! I happen to agree.
Hmm.. gee.. maybe if they built in REAL WORLD credit usage pitfalls.. like going over your limit, or overdrafting your Debit card.. nosebleed default interest rates and .. have the phone ring from a nasty debt collector when you're past due .. just a thought. ;)
SHOW ME THE MONEY !!! lol
Fake money or fake plastic?
Well, let's think about this for a minute...
Hold up your fake piece of plastic.
Now hold up and fan all your $500 and $100 bills.
Which makes you feel rich? Which one makes you feel pimpin', sucka?
The CASH, baby!
A handful of big bills are always more impressive than plastic. And since the idea of Monopoly is to acquire as much wealth as you can, the cash is a major part of what makes the game so fun. You have something tangible to hold and feel, fan and show off - wealth the other players can see with their own eyes without you saying a word. A stupid fake credit card won't mean jack.
The problem with Parker Brothers is, every so many years, they must see a lag in Monopoly sales, so they come up with some twist on the game in an effort to stir up consumers' interest again. But the last time they tried doing this with a gadget, they came up with that stupid Monopoly Playmaster which was an absolute piece of crap that ended up tanking miserably.
This stupid thing will fail, too, just like the Playmaster.
Parker Brothers apparently doesn't realize that Monopoly is a game and not real life, therefore what we do out in the real world doesn't automatically transfer over and gel well with the game.
If they actually try to phase out cash versions of this game and attempt to replace them with this stupid thing, when it fails and sales drop like a rock, they'll do a Homer - DOH! - and start releasing cash versions again.
I'm kind of sad to see this because I think a lot of kids learned a lot about finance and making mental transations in their head from this game. Then again, since so many transations are done by credit card these days, I guess this they are just changing with the times. Still kind of sad, and I'm only 20... I'm sure this will break the hearts of some 40 - 50 year olds out there.
- Tony R.
Oh yes, I forgot to address one other thing...
They say that "the game is moving with the times."
Are they serious? How long have credit cards been out now? Well, let's see. They were first introduced as we know them sometime in the late 50's, really caught on in the early 70's, and became ubiquitous by around 1980 or so. So plastic has been around somewhere between 25 and 50 years, depending on how you look at it.
Yeah, way to keep up with the times, Parker Brothers.
I think Parker Brothers has too many slow moving greybeards at the top and this is their way of feebly trying to fool consumers into thinking that Parker Brothers isn't actually made up of dinosaurs who lack imagination.
PB, how about coming up with something truly creative for Monopoly for once? I can think of some really great ideas that would bring the game into the 21st century.
But too bad the people with all the decisive power have no ideas, and the people with all the ideas don't work for you - and if they did, wouldn't be listened to, anyway.
You could always run a contest and ask people to submit their new ideas to revamp Monopoly, ya know. And then give the winning contestant a percentage of all sales.
Just a thought. (Hint, hint...)
How sad. In a few years our kids won't even be able to do simple addition or subtraction without the assistance of a calculator or computer device. And forget about the multiplication needed when you get the card "You are assessed for street repairs – $40 per house, $115 per hotel."
Yay no more running out of money!! and finally i can burn those 1s and 5s lol
This will most likely take away my favorite modification to the game rules: having everyone pay taxes, fees, etc. to Free Parking, so that Free Parking effectively becomes "TAX REFUND DAY!!!!"
Oh ya.. Reply to not being able to land on free parking and get all that loot and wishing everytime you pass that thing you would have landed on it, especially if your in last place! Well aren't you moded :) I am personally for the game and loving every minute of it. I also like that wad of cash but my brother always bends, rips, and tears the crap. What am i gonaa do now hah? Spend 10 minutes straightening out dollar bills? well i dont feel like it. Yay for monopoly and back to free parking problem. Just transfer that tax whenever you have to pay to another card tha no one is using(zero it out first then add the 500k start off)and there you go. When you land on free parking..tada! Just transfer the money from that card to yours and then add 500k to the other card again. Yay, Conincha @%@*%!& and before i leave I have no idea hot to spell Conincha so its propably wrong. Bye Suckas!
Apparently this is only available in the forth-coming "Here and Now" version. All other versions will retain good old hard currency.
The BBC says the cash version is NOT being discontinued and will continue to be sold alongside the electronic version:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5212732.stm
Looking at Google News it seems that several British outlets have run the story, but it hasn't shown up stateside. Maybe this is a UK-only thing.
I don't think they are totally phasing the "money" out of the game. The electronic/debit card version has been seen as part of the "Then and Now" version, a variant of the game featuring modern day things like cell phones and such.
Man, I can't believe how many of you are hating on this idea. I think it's a good one. First off, it's not like they'd be using credit cards. It wouldn't work. See, cause when you go negative in monopoly, your game is over. Therefore, these are debit cards. I use my debit card all of the time because it's easier then dealing with cash. Therefore, it's a bit more realistic.
Problems I have with other people's posts:
- If your children are learning how to count solely because of monopoly, you have some major issues.
- For the jerks who feel they can't gloat as well without a big wad of money, great! Maybe this will teach you how to be a compassionate winner.
- For those of you who still want to play with paper money, go for it. But I'll use my debit card. If I end up owing you $2, I'll just get it out of the ATM.
Galley wrote:
"Apparently this is only available in the forth-coming "Here and Now" version."
************
The "Here and Now" version?
More like the "Finally Here and Way Back Then" version.
Or maybe the "Still Stuck in the 70's and 80's" version.
There's always the "We Just Woke Up from a 25+ Year Long Nap" version.
And the "Cryogenics Awakening and We're Still Catching Up" version.
Or how about the "Fake Plastic and Big Dumb Kalkoolater" version.
And the "Sorry, But This is the Best Thing We Could Come Up With" version.
And finally, "Lame-opoly".
OK. I'm done.
For now...
What a JOKE! Is nothing sacred anymore? God forbid you need a replacement card. Nothing like getting a bad credit rating at the age of 6.
My dughter thinks all I need is that plastic card to pay for things, I used to think that all my parents had to do was go to a "teller machine" to get money to pay for things.
I don't have a problem with either version, perhaps realizing that there are numbers associated to that plastic card and that the numbers aren't limitless, is worth the investment.
I want to see online versions of these games that people can play against each other.
@CaseCom, according to the entry for Monopoly over on Wikipedia, the "electronic banking" version is only available in France and Germany.
Considering how conservative (note the lowercase 'c') American tastes seem to run (especially based on the general gnashing of teeth here), I wonder if the US will ever see this version.
Will there be a $2 ATM Service fee?
Every other round, someone will hound you to sign up for overdraft protection.
"...Can you still cheat? What happens when you past GO?..."
When you pass GO you simply load your card into the right terminal (there are two terminals on either side of the machine, one for negative money and the other for positive money) and press the Green button with the arrow in the middle of the machine. As for cheating... if you are the banker you can simply "key in the wrong numbers" ;). I have noticed that you cant add or remove greater than 20 milion (Boardwalk with a Hotel) from a card at once so you cant cheat that badly.
"...the "electronic banking" version is only available in France and Germany..."
I am in Australia and I am currentley enjoying the electronic banking edition. No doubt that it will come out in the US when the "Here and Now" edition comes out.
Another thing I picked up on is that people think they will be charging $2 rent to their cards. Keep in mind that in this version the rent has skyrocked and you are now paying millions of dollars for one property (you start with 15 million).
No. There will be a new kind of cheating - credit card fraud.
No. There will be a new kind of cheating - credit card fraud.
Oh Great! now our kids can learn how to "charge it"
"board game - £24.99
christmas wrapper - £1.99
the look on the faces of the kids when the board says that their credit score doesn't let them have a credit card...priceless.
oh, wait, wrong card...dammit."
Man I didn't think I could see the day, you know it was the credit idea that sent the US into a depression?
Plus, it is the cash that the kids have to count that makes it worth it.
AND PLUS to prevent cheating... for cripes sake it is a board game... come on, not the World Cup!
credit for park avenue... please.
Ive bought it.Its a very clever idea and new ideas have been brought in to make it work
money always got lost in this it doesnt itstops the banker cheating
it is moving on with the times considering the introduction of chip and pin and the banks trying to get us to pay with debit cards(debit not credit so it is in a way telling children they an only spend the money they have)
i personally think its a good idea no matter what every one else says
Funny that, so far, no one has mentioned "conditioning". This is the type of change that would do B.F. Skinner proud.
I think people need to stop critizing unless they have played the new game. Both versions have their own pros and cons so just get over it!!
I think that it's about time! I can't wait until it comes to America and I think that modernizing a classic game is a cool way to get people's interest back. GREAT IDEA HASBRO!
I think this new idea is great! Nothing like modernizing a classic to bring people's interest back. GOOD FOR YOU HASBRO! Don'tlisten to all of the pesimists out there.
crazy how times change. huh? like any other changes, theres a good and a bad. i'll start with the bad, monopoly forces you to use your brain by having to count your money, and subtract diffrent amounts when for buying properties, even for landing on other peoples property. its loosing some of its education basis. on the other hand, shifting through all those bills, even though at times it makes you feel like a baller, wont be missed. the game will be a much shorter game now, not having to wait while for a slow banking person to give you your change. so the card will have its advantages. honestly i feel people are gonna want both versions of the game, and adults will be the majortiy of the population playing the older version. with taking out the aspect of dealing with all that money will make the younger generation enjoy the newer version much more. hey its america, simplicity first!!
i think is not a good idea to change it true kids learn some math skills playing the old game just have both
Shame on Parker Brothers! How dare they do this, in an obvious and blatant attempt to appeal to the future market? Everyone loves the money, don't they? I mean, as a kid, I'm sure we all loved the chance to handle money (well, we didn't know it was fake at the time). And it was great fun to chuck in the air when you won, too.
So, if anyone feels this way, come and visit my friend and I's forum, Bring Back Monopoly Money, located at: http://bonnefourchette.proboards85.com/index.cgi
Please register and help us in the campaign to keep our beloved Monopoly Money!
I think it's pretty cool... yea it kinda ruin's the whole thing by useing a credit card cause that's how i learned how to count money and get better in math...
but also the major plusside to the whole thing is that we don't have to worry about people cheating anymore...now maybe i'll like to play again.
I think it's pretty cool... yea it kinda ruin's the whole thing by useing a credit card cause that's how i learned how to count money and get better in math...
but also the major plus side to the whole thing is that we don't have to worry about people cheating anymore and it's less of a mess...now maybe i'll like to play again.
I think Visa is paying them a lot to do this. A card reader seems to me to be more expensive then paper. Actually, there's no reason for credit cards-they have no purpose. I know that, in the spirit of this game, these would be debit cards, but [RANT] If you don't have the money to begin with, then with the fees and interest, you are going to have less money then you started with. If you couldn't pay your bills in the first place, and this is the reason you used a credit card, then you are now in debt. [/RANT]
hi, i was wondering were you can get this at?
and also how much does it cost? and also when it is out in stores.
my mum saw this on television and she thought it was great idea so if i can find this info out it would be much appreciated so that we could buy one of them and also how many calculaters come with it and also the credit cards?
regards
stacey
rhodes
p.s please reaply as soon as posible.
thanks
Thanks for all comments, which are helpful for me. I'll pay more attention on comments here. JACK - www.chinabboss.com
Great, make our kids dumber, no reason to have our kids learning to count while having fun with the family. While at the same time conditioning our kids for a cashless society. I know your gonna say " oh but it will make the game go faster " I know why spend some time with the kids. Let's just get it over with right?
Which bring to my head and brakes my heart that, I can't remember when I played a board game with my kids! I will tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nuts. Now I won't be able to get my money when I stop on the parking space!! LOL!! Sounds like a good game, maybe. Dunno about that idea of losing the money though. I have too many cards in my life now. Sigh.
CREDIT CARD MONOPOLY!!
How long before they just plant chips in our brains...so we don't have to think at all!!!
What is wrong with the world. I use cash with almost every transaction now a days. I use to use plastic until I realizedI was 5000 in debt (yeah that wasmy fault). Cash keeps you in check.
Will Visa also give us cash advance and loans to help our kids learn how 'easy' it is to get things without earning it.
It would be one thing to just create a new version, but to get rid of the old version that's just sick. Oh well, I guess I'll just be banning Parker Brothers altogether, lol, I would ban Visa but I already have.
This is basically a lie. The Electronic Banking edition is just one of the many special editions that Parker Brothers has made over the years. One year later and you can still buy the classic edition complete with paper money. You should be ashamed of yourselves for not doing your research, and I'll remember not to read anything posted by this blog in the future.
I work at a high school where the kids have a hard enough time counting real money, so we used the old game to help...i guess that ideas is out the window now....instantaneously
Oh ya.. Reply to not being able to land on free parking and get all that loot and wishing everytime you pass that thing you would have landed on it, especially if your in last place! Well aren't you moded :) I am personally for the game and loving every minute of it. I also like that wad of cash but my brother always bends, rips, and tears the crap. What am i gonaa do now hah? Spend 10 minutes straightening out dollar bills? well i dont feel like it. Yay for monopoly and back to free parking problem. Just transfer that tax whenever you have to pay to another card tha no one is using(zero it out first then add the 500k start off)and there you go. When you land on free parking..tada! Just transfer the money from that card to yours and then add 500k to the other card again. Yay, Conincha @%@*%!& and before i leave I have no idea hot to spell Conincha so its propably wrong. Bye Suckas!