McDonald’s is bringing back Monopoly for the first time since the ‘McMillions’ scammer was exposed for stealing $24 million in prizes

The Monopoly promotion, introduced in 1987, became a marketing phenomenon, offering customers the chance to win prizes ranging from free meals to houses, cars, and million-dollar cash jackpots. However, from 1989 to 2001, the game was marred by a vast conspiracy led by Jerome P. Jacobson, a security officer who managed the distribution of winning pieces. Jacobson, known as “Uncle Jerry,” systematically stole high-value game pieces and distributed them to a network that included family, friends, and mob associates, costing McDonald’s $24 million and cheating regular customers out of major prizes. The FBI eventually uncovered the scam in 2001, as chronicled in HBO’s 2020 documentary series McMillion$.

In response to the scandal, McDonald’s fired its marketing agency and replaced the Monopoly game with other promotions, including Game Time Gold for U.S. stores after 2015. The return of Monopoly in 2025 comes with extensive security upgrades: Customers will now collect and redeem both physical peel-off stickers and digital pieces, but all pieces must be scanned and tracked through the McDonald’s app, where new safeguards and independent audits are in place.

The return is both a nostalgia play and a strategic sales push for McDonald’s. Recent months have seen the company regain momentum in U.S. sales with movie tie-ins and new menu items. Analysts suggest the Monopoly comeback could reconnect lapsed customers and strengthen brand loyalty, while also testing whether enhanced security can erase the memory of one of corporate America’s most notorious scams.