Cheaters never prosper, unless they’re an ex-cop who can manage to rig the McDonald’s Monopoly game and steal millions of dollars.
Starting in 1987, the fast food chain introduced its version of Monopoly, which saw customers feverishly collecting game pieces attached to drink cups, french fry packets and advertising inserts in magazines. The game promised customers a chance to win prizes such as elaborate vacations, cars or $1 million, but according to a new Daily Beast article, the game was rigged for 12 years by a former cop named Jerome Jacobson.
The article states that Jacobson, also known as “Uncle Jerry,” got involved in the Monopoly scheme while he was working as director of security for Simon Marketing, the company that produced the game pieces. Jacobson began by stealing the pieces and giving them to relatives or distant acquaintances in exchange for a cut of the winnings, and pretty soon his crime ring consisted of mobsters, psychics, strip club owners, convicts, drug traffickers, and even a family of Mormons, who had falsely claimed more than $24 million in cash and prizes.
Though Jacobson’s role in the McDonald’s Monopoly game fraud was uncovered in 2001 via an FBI sting operation, after which he was sentenced to 37 months in jail, the Daily Beast article provides an in-depth look at his web of deceit, and social media users are both fascinated and angry.
Even Dictionary.com got in on the fun by defining the word “monopolize,” and several users have already called for a movie version of this saga. Take a look some Twitter reactions below:
Monopolize. To obtain exclusive possession of; keep entirely to oneself.
E.g. Monopoly winnings were monopolized. https://t.co/n4yhgoSpsH https://t.co/j8bFWJ0PNC
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) July 29, 2018
When you have a bizarre and unexpected tale, no need to gussy it up or get over dramatic. Let the facts speak for themselves. Let the story unfold. @jeffmaysh shows how in strange tale about fraud and the McDonald’s Monopoly game. https://t.co/QOMFWoiHML @thedailybeast
— Steve Padilla (@StevePadilla2) July 29, 2018
This is one hell of a read https://t.co/8UrnnHwwDf
— Evan Siegfried (@evansiegfried) July 29, 2018
Ok…so clearly we need some sort of film adaptation of this. Documentary, docudrama, full-feature, something!!!
— Dr. Christopher C. Thompson (@PastorCCT) July 29, 2018
Please:McFilm
— Rural_life (@LMorailane) July 30, 2018
THIS. IS. AN. INCREDIBLE. STORY.
How the McDonalds Monopoly game you played for a decade was rigged. https://t.co/n9CiISn339
— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) July 29, 2018
Have you ever played the McDonalds Monopoly game hoping you’d find the $1 million instant winner piece?
Well, guess what, your odds of winning wasn’t 250 million to 1, but actually zero.https://t.co/IhovowWkgF— Kevin Mitnick (@kevinmitnick) July 29, 2018
I’m stunned. As a child, I daydreamed of winning the #McDonalds #Monopoly game, but Boardwalk Ave always evaded me 🙁 Turns out there was a reason. From 1987 to 1999, an insider rigged the game and stole every single valuable piece. https://t.co/vMsLyVO4W3 via @thedailybeast
— 🅼🅰🆁🅸🅴🏋🏽♀️💃🏽🅶 (@TheRealMarieBTC) July 30, 2018
