If there’s one thing every crack dealer hates, it’s being paid in Monopoly money. A 33-year-old man in Wichita, KS, was pulled over by officers last week and found bleeding from the head. He told police he’d just been tricked by his angry crack dealer into coming over to his house, whereupon the dealer pistol whipped his face. According to the police report, the victim told them that “a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back.” [More]
monopoly
NY AG: Intel Is An Illegal Monopoly That Uses "Bribery And Coercion"
By 11.4.09
Andrew Cuomo, the Attorney General of New York, has filed a lawsuit against Intel, claiming that the company is an illegal monopoly that engages “in a worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct – revealed in e-mails – in order to maintain its monopoly power and prices in the market for microprocessors.”
UK May Block Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger, Save Universe
By 10.8.09
While U.S. authorities are still trying to figure out whether letting the Godzilla and Megalon of ticket-selling join forces is a good thing, the U.K. has come to the rescue of concertgoers worldwide. The Competition Commission declared that the merger would “will limit the development of competition in the market for live music ticket retailing.”
The Economist's Credit Crunch Game Makes Subprime Loans Fun Again!
By 12.29.08
We think the idea of “Credit Crunch,” a print-it-yourself board game in this week’s issue of The Economist, is great. We’re not convinced it’s exactly cost-effective to print the board, cards, and money with your own equipment, though—as someone suggests in their comments section, maybe a web-savvy reader should create an online version.
8 Personal Finance Lessons Learned From Monopoly
By 9.27.07
Remember those cold winter nights when your family stayed up late and fought to bankrupt each other? Recall the number of times you cheered a little metal dog (or hat or thimble) to move around a square board quickly? Recollect regularly screaming “come on seven!” only to roll a six? Who knew that all that time you were really learning about personal finance? Well, Blueprint for Financial Prosperity now knows this was the case. He’s detailed eight personal finance lessons he learned from Monopoly.
FTC Appeals, Still Trying To Stop Whole Foods/Wild Oats Merger
By 8.17.07
A judge has ruled in favor of the Whole Foods/Wild Oats merger, but the FTC has announced they will appeal the decision and are asking that the merger be blocked pending that appeal.
Senators Have Tough Words For DirecTV's "Extra Innings" Deal
By 3.28.07
Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., had questions for Major League Baseball and DirecTV at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on behalf of subscribers to cable TV and EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network who are threatened by the DirecTV-only “Extra Innings” deal.
Is iTunes an Illegal Monopoly?
By 1.3.07
Has Apple done this? Have they placed “unneeded and unjustifiable” restrictions on iTunes music? Have these restrictions kept you from or convinced you not to use iTunes? Let’s hear about it in the comments. The lawsuit seeks to “an injunction that would force Apple to make the iPod compatible with other online music and video purchased elsewhere.” What do you think? —MEGHANN MARCO
McDonald’s Says Flogs Were Not Completely Fake
By 11.27.06
In late October, we exposed two McDonald’s flogs promoting their Monopoly game. One was supposedly written by “Stanley Smith” and followed his quest to collect all four railroads. The other was ostensibly written by 2004 million-dollar winner Marcia Schroeder.
Mickey D’s Responds To Flogs
By 10.31.06
We asked JSH&A for a comment regarding the McDonald’s flogs, and we got it:
EXCLUSIVE: McDonald’s Promotes Monopoly Game With Flogs
By 10.31.06
4railroads follows “Stanley Smith,” obsessed with getting all four railroad pieces. The site also boasts a series of cinema verite videos purporting to document Stanley’s exploits.
McDonald’s Monopoly Won’t Make Anyone A Millionaire
By 10.19.06
When I was a kid, I always looked forward to McDonald’s Monopoly rolling around. It always seemed like a million bucks was just one Boardwalk sticker on the back of my small fries away. Of course, I didn’t know the odds, but as McDonald’s Monopoly rolls around again, Fast Food News has been kind enough to tell you exactly how unlikely you are to get anything at all.
