Ever wondered what it’d be like to play Monopoly with real money? Well, wonder no more!
As part of a promotion for the game’s 80th anniversary in France, Hasbro has replaced the iconic paper bills with real euros in 80 regular Monopoly sets. One of those sets will have every play bill replaced with a real one for a total of 20,580 euros.
Ten sets will contain five 20-euro bills, two 50-euro bills, and one 100-euro note, for a total of 300 euros, or around $370. Finally, 69 sets will contain five 10-euro bills and five 20-euro bills (150 euros).
Employees prepare envelopes with banknotes during a secret operation in Saint-Avold, eastern France. (Source: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images)
“We wanted to do something unique. When we asked our French customers, they told us they wanted to find real money in their Monopoly boxes,” Monopoly brand manager Florence Gaillard told The Guardian.
The Monopoly sets, released secretly on Monday, will be indistinguishable by weight, though Hasbro notes there will be a tiny difference in thickness thanks to the euro size. The 80 sets will be hidden amongst 30,000 boxes of Monopoly, Monopoly Junior, and electronic and vintage varieties.
500 euro banknotes are seen on a Monopoly boardgame as employees prepare envelopes with cash during a commercial operation of the Monopoly game, on January 13, 2015 in Saint-Avold, eastern France. (Source: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images)
Monopoly was originally adapted from a folk game called The Landlord’s Game made by Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips in 1903. It was produced by Parker Brothers in the the 1930s, and went through a few evolutions before looking the very popular title we all know now. It is now available in 111 countries around the world in 43 languages.
Sources: Mashable, The Guardian.