Journalism of Courage
McDonald’s is bringing back its popular Monopoly game in the US after nearly a decade, aiming to boost sales and attract more customers. The promotion will start on 6 October for a limited period.
Unlike previous versions, the game will now be mostly digital and played through the McDonald’s app for registered loyalty members. Some physical game pieces will still appear on select food items, such as large fries, which can be peeled and scanned in the app.
Digital game pieces will also be available on certain app orders. Customers who collect all pieces of a property can claim prizes, including free food, bonus reward points, 1 million American Airlines miles, a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and a $1 million cash prize, CNN reported.
Monopoly at McDonald’s was first introduced in 1987 and last released in the US in 2014, though it continued in other countries. The game has previously faced controversy. CNN reports that in 2001, the FBI investigated a scam in which several million-dollar winners were found to be connected. Eight people were arrested, including Jerome Jacobson, a security official with Simon Marketing, who controlled the distribution of high-value game pieces and made more than $20 million from the scheme.
The revival of Monopoly is also expected to help McDonald’s loyalty programme. CEO Chris Kempczinski said customers “more than doubled their visits after joining the programme,” attracted by discounts. He added, “If you are a loyalty member at McDonald’s, we have exceptional value and affordability scores amongst those consumers.”
McDonald’s has about 170 million loyalty users globally and aims to reach 250 million by the end of 2027, CNN reported.
