McDonald's Monopoly

Mimicking the design of the Monopoly board game, the game offers tokens with certain menu items, each corresponding to a property space on the Monopoly board. Each token has a redeemable equivalent, usually a low-cost menu item such as fries or a soft drink. When combined into color-matched properties, however, the tokens may be redeemed for more costly prizes such as video games and portable CD players. The grand prize, again reflecting the game, is the combination of the two most costly properties, Park Place and Boardwalk. In order to restrict the availability of the prizes, the "most expensive" property in a set is rare.

In 2001, the promotion was terminated after a fraud scheme was uncovered. The subcontractor hired by McDonald's to organize and promote the game, Simon Marketing, failed to recognize a flaw in its procedures, and the chief of security was able to remove the "most expensive" game pieces, which he then passed to associates who would redeem them and share the proceeds. It turned out that almost all of the grand prize and top prize winners over several years had been participants in the scheme, netting over $24 million. In the end 51 individuals were indicted, and the relationship between McDonald's and the promotions company broke down in a pair of lawsuits, which were eventually settled out of court.

In 2004, McDonald's resumed the Monopoly game with new security precautions.

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