PAWTUCKETT, RI—Monopoly, one of the world's most popular board games, is following the worldwide move toward a cashless society by bringing credit cards to the game.
LowCards.com reported that the game’s manufacturer, Hasbro, said Monopoly Ultimate Banking will come out later this year and players will receive credit cards they can scan to spend and receive money.
Even Chance and Community Chest card awards will be automatically loaded to players' accounts.
“Hasbro tried to add credit cards to the game a few years ago, but the process was cumbersome and made the already-long game even longer,” explained Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com, Birmingham, Ala. “Players had to manually enter the amount of transactions before swiping their card.”
Another major change is that Monopoly Ultimate Banking will add "Life Events."
“These cards will cause property values to fluctuate—just like in real life,” said Hardekopf. “Those expensive Boardwalk hotels may be worth thousands one round and then drop in value.”
The revamped Monopoly is expected to be more popular with younger, tech-savvy players. Hardekopf added that some parents will be “excited about the faster cleanup time.”