History of McDonald's Monopoly in Timeline

McDonald's Monopoly is a sales promotion by McDonald's, inspired by the board game Monopoly. Launched in the US in 1987 and now worldwide, customers collect property game pieces from select menu items like Big Macs and fries. Matching all properties of a color set wins prizes like cash, cars, and trips. "Instant win" tokens offer free food. The grand prize, often $1,000,000, is awarded for collecting both dark blue properties.

1987: McDonald's Monopoly Game First Ran

In 1987, the McDonald's Monopoly game, a sales promotion based on the Hasbro board game Monopoly, was first launched in the United States by the McDonald's fast food chain. The game involves collecting property-based game pieces to win prizes like cash, automobiles, and trips.

1987: McDonald's Monopoly Game First Offered in the United States

In 1987, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was first offered in the United States.

1995: Jacobson's Associates Win Top Prizes

Between 1995, Jacobson's associates and collaborators won almost all of the top prizes, including cash and cars, netting over $24 million through fraudulent activity.

1995: Colombo Appears in Commercial/Donation to St. Jude

In 1995, Gennaro Colombo appeared in a McDonald's commercial promoting his fraudulent Dodge Viper win. Also in 1995, St. Jude Children's Hospital received an anonymous letter with a $1 million winning game piece, which McDonald's honored as a donation.

June 1996: Colombo's Father-in-Law Comes Forward as Winner

In June 1996, William "Buddy" Fisher, Gennaro Colombo's father-in-law, came forward as a winner with a stolen $1 million Monopoly piece.

1998: Colombo Dies in Traffic Accident

In 1998, Gennaro "Jerry" Colombo died in a traffic accident, leading Jacobson to find new accomplices to sell stolen game pieces.

2000: Jacobson's Associates Win Top Prizes

Between 1995 and 2000, Jacobson's associates and collaborators won almost all of the top prizes, including cash and cars, netting over $24 million through fraudulent activity. Later, 53 people were indicted, and 48 pled guilty.

September 10, 2001: Jacobson's Trial Begins

On September 10, 2001, Jerome P. Jacobson's trial began in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud in connection with the McDonald's Monopoly fraud.

2001: U.S. Promotion Halted After Fraud Uncovered

In 2001, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion in the U.S. was halted after fraud was uncovered, involving Simon Marketing's chief of security, Jerome P. Jacobson, stealing winning game pieces and selling them to associates, including members of the Colombo crime family.

2001: Monopoly: Pick Your Prize!

In 2001, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Monopoly: Pick Your Prize!".

2001: "Pick Your Prize!" Edition

In the 2001 McDonald's Monopoly edition, titled "Pick Your Prize!", winners could choose how they wanted their prize awarded (gold, diamonds, or $50,000 per year for 20 years).

2003: Best Buy Involved in U.S. Version

From 2003, Best Buy was involved in the U.S. version of McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

2003: Monopoly Best Chance Game

In 2003, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Monopoly Best Chance Game".

2005: Online Counterpart Introduced

In 2005, McDonald's introduced an online counterpart to its traditional Monopoly game, where participants could enter codes from game pieces online for virtual Monopoly game board rolls.

2005: Monopoly Best Chance Game

In 2005, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Monopoly Best Chance Game".

2005: Coupons with Food Purchases

In the 2005 McDonald's Monopoly edition, certain foods came with coupons that could be used at Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, or Foot Locker (including online stores), with coupon values ranging up to $5 for Toys R Us.

2006: Top Prize Awarded for Collecting Four Railroads

In the 2006 McDonald's Monopoly game, the top prize ($5 million) was awarded for collecting the four railroads, with the traditional $1 million prize for Boardwalk/Park Place.

2007: Landing on Community Chest Won Game Downloads

In 2007, landing on Community Chest in the online McDonald's Monopoly game won game downloads.

2007: Top Prize Awarded for Collecting Four Railroads

In the 2007 McDonald's Monopoly game, the top prize ($5 million) was awarded for collecting the four railroads, with the traditional $1 million prize for Boardwalk/Park Place.

2008: Addition of Golden Avenue and Arches Avenue

For the 2008 McDonald's Monopoly promotion only, McDonald's added Golden Avenue and Arches Avenue; obtaining both won $100,000.

2008: Coupons for Foot Locker Items

In 2008, McDonald's Monopoly coupons could be redeemed for up to 25% off any Foot Locker item(s).

2009: Best Buy Involved in Canadian Version

In 2009, Best Buy was involved in the Canadian version of the McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

2009: Online Prizes for Landing on Spaces

In 2009, in the online McDonald's Monopoly game, the prizes for landing on spaces included 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.

2009: Coupons Discontinued

Since 2009, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion has not featured any coupons.

2010: Online Game Changed

In 2010, the online McDonald's Monopoly game was changed, removing the dice and the game board and presenting only 3 Chance cards from which to pick for a prize.

2011: Online Game Changed Again

In 2011, the online McDonald's Monopoly game was changed again, featuring Rich Uncle Pennybags attempting to throw a Chance card into a top hat to claim a prize.

2012: Click on "Spin"

In 2012, the online McDonald's Monopoly game required players to click on "Spin"; landing on "GO!" won the online prize shown.

2013: Argentina and Brazil Included in Promotion

In 2013, Argentina and Brazil were included in the McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

2013: Two Boardwalk Pieces Produced

In 2013, McDonald's allowed two Boardwalk pieces to be produced for the Monopoly game; prior to this only one was produced.

2013: Click on "Play"

In 2013, players had to click on "Play" in the online McDonald's Monopoly game; a win resulted in the prize shown onscreen, with an entry to win a 2013 Fiat 500 Cabrio regardless of the outcome.

2013: Monopoly/Millionaire Game

In 2013, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Monopoly/Millionaire Game".

2014: Click on "GO!"

For the 2014 McDonald's Monopoly game, players clicked on "GO!" in the online game; a win resulted in the online prize shown, with an entry to win $50,000 regardless of the outcome.

2014: Addition of Electric Company and Water Works/Free Parking

For the 2014 McDonald's Monopoly promotion only, McDonald's added Electric Company and Water Works with a $10,000 prize for obtaining both. Also, Free Parking was added, with a $100,000 prize.

2014: South Korea Included in Promotion

In 2014, South Korea was included in the McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

2014: Final Annuity Payment to St. Jude

In 2014, the final $50,000 annuity payment was made to St. Jude Children's Hospital, fulfilling the $1 million prize from the anonymous winning game piece received in 1995.

2014: Addition of Electric Company/Water Works

In the 2014 McDonald's Monopoly edition, Electric Company/Water Works utilities were added; obtaining both won $10,000.

2014: Virtual Monopoly Game Board Rolls

Up to 2014, each code entered online granted the user one roll on a virtual Monopoly game board.

2015: Monopoly Game Replaced by "Game Time Gold" in the US

In 2015, the McDonald's Monopoly game in the US was replaced by "Game Time Gold", which used an NFL theme.

2015: Coast To Coast/Golden Chances

In 2015, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Coast To Coast" and "Golden Chances".

2016: Ireland Included in Promotion

In 2016, Ireland was included in the McDonald's Monopoly promotion.

2016: Weekly Sweepstakes

In 2016, players in the online McDonalds Monopoly game could enter up to ten codes daily for a chance to win weekly sweepstakes with a $50,000 grand prize.

2016: "Money Monopoly" with Cash Prizes

In 2016, the McDonald's Monopoly game was titled "Money Monopoly", with all available prizes being cash, including the $1 million for Park Place and Boardwalk.

2016: Money Monopoly/Prize Choice

In 2016, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Money Monopoly" and "Prize Choice".

2017: Win Win

In 2017, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Win Win".

August 2018: Film Announcement

In August 2018, 20th Century Fox announced plans for a film based on the Jerome Jacobson fraud, with Ben Affleck as director, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese as writers and Matt Damon in an acting role.

2018: Unclaimed Prizes

In 2018, many McDonald's Monopoly prizes went unclaimed in the UK, with only 8 million out of 25 million instant food prizes claimed, and only 6 out of 20 Mini Coopers claimed.

2018: Wiiiin!!

In 2018, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Wiiiin!!".

2018: Promotion Dates Synced with UK

In 2018, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion's dates were synced with the UK's promotions.

2019: Criticism for Incentivizing Ordering More

In 2019, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was criticized for incentivizing ordering more and upsizing portions, with UK Labour Party's Tom Watson calling it a "danger to public health".

2020: McMillions Docuseries

In 2020, the controversy surrounding the McDonald's Monopoly fraud was depicted in the HBO docuseries McMillions.

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2020: UK Promotion Postponed Due to COVID-19

In March 2020, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion in the UK was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in incorrect dates on the printed stickers for that year's promotion.

2021: Monopoly VIP Run in UK

In 2021, the "Monopoly VIP" promotion, which was originally scheduled for March 2020, was run in August in the UK due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: V.I.P.

In 2021, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "V.I.P.".

2022: Double Peel

In 2022, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Double Peel".

2023: Double Peel

In 2023, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Double Peel".

2024: Coast To Coast/Double Play/Power Peel

In 2024, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Coast To Coast" in the US, "Double Play" in Canada, and "Power Peel" in the UK.

October 2025: Return to the U.S. After Decade-Long Hiatus

In early October 2025, the Monopoly promotion returned to the U.S. McDonald's restaurants after a decade-long absence.

2025: Monopoly Special Edition

In 2025, the McDonald's Monopoly promotion was known as "Monopoly Special Edition" in the United Kingdom.

2025: Shift to Smartphone App for Monopoly

In 2025, when the Monopoly promotion returned to the US, McDonalds largely discontinued the physical collecting aspect of the game and moved it to their own smartphone app, restricting it to members of their MyMcDonald's Rewards loyalty program. While physical tokens are printed, customers redeem them in the McDonalds app.

2025: $1 million Prize Via "Bonus Play" Feature

In the 2025 McDonald's Monopoly game, the $1 million prize can only be won via the "Bonus Play" feature in the McDonalds app, with Bonus Plays being collected each time a customer redeems a game piece.

2025: Online Method for AMOE Entries Introduced

In the 2025 Monopoly promotion, McDonald’s introduced an online method for obtaining AMOE (Alternative Method of Entry) entries, allowing participants to request entries via e-mail through the official McDonald’s AMOE website, rather than by mail.