Though the modern world is far from becoming a cashless society, Monopoly is getting closer; in a new British version of the venerable game, cards have replaced cash.
Instead of the classic bundles of multicolored money, players are given Visa-branded debit cards. They enter transaction amounts into a keypad and then swipe their cards to update their holdings.
Chris Weatherhead, a U.K. spokesman for Monopoly’s owner, Hasbro Inc., said the Pawtucket, R.I., toy company introduced the “electronic edition” to be “relevant today.” A German version released last year also used debit cards.
“A lot of people are using cards instead of cash, and we wanted to reflect that in Monopoly,” he said.
Hasbro has created numerous versions of the game with various themes and geographic settings. Last year its U.K. unit released Monopoly Here and Now, which features current London locations. (The two most expensive properties are Kensington Palace Garden and Knightsbridge.) Last week it added the debit cards to that game.
Visa allowed Hasbro to use the card association’s name and logo for free, Mr. Weatherhead said.
Pat Riso, a U.S. spokeswoman for Hasbro, said it plans to release an American version of Monopoly Here and Now in September. It will use paper currency, in higher denominations than the classic version, instead of payment cards, though “we’re considering it for future editions.”
Karen Gullett, a senior vice president for Visa International’s global brand management division, said that even though the association receives no money (not even the Monopoly type) from Hasbro, it does benefit from the toy company’s marketing efforts, and the Visa logo is on the game box.
“Monopoly is used as a tool to help kids learn how to count money, so we thought it was compatible,” Ms. Gullett said.
Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pa., designed Monopoly while out of work during the Great Depression. He patented the game in 1934. To date over 200 million games have been sold worldwide, according to Hasbro’s Web site, and the longest recorded game lasted 70 straight days.
