Monopoly ditches cash for Visa

New British version of classic board game will replace traditional paper dollars with a debit card to reflect modern lifestyles.
NEW YORK -- The days of spending cash are over, if a British version of Monopoly has anything to say about it.
Parker Brothers said a new edition of the board game released this week in the United Kingdom and Australia switches to a Visa debit card and electronic transaction calculator from its traditional paper money. Parker Brothers, a unit of toymaker Hasbro Inc., (down $0.27 to $18.80, Charts) cited a study by research agency YouGov showing that 70 percent of British consumers say they use cash less often than 10 years ago, while only 11 percent say they use it more.
"The survey confirms what we thought, that people are carrying less cash than they did 10 years ago and prefer to use a card to buy things," said Chris Weatherhead, a Parker spokesman. "The new electronic Monopoly reflects the changing nature of society and the advancement of technology."
To buy a property, players insert the debit card into an electronic unit and deduct the funds.
The new version of the game also includes different exclusive properties than the original British version, as Parker Brothers teamed up with British property Web site Rightmove.co.uk.
Despite the modern touches, the company's trademark Mr. Monopoly character will retain his signature shiny black top hat.
Over 20 million sets of the Monopoly game have been sold in the UK since 1935 - with over £300 billion in Monopoly money produced.