MACAO, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After ten hours of property space purchases, paying rent, and passing GO, Nicolò Falcone of Venice, Italy defeated 27 fellow competitive MONOPOLY players to win the 2015 MONOPOLY World Championship and take home the grand prize of $20,580, the equivalent of the “bank” in a standard MONOPOLY game. The 2015 World Championship gathered players from several nations around the world, including France, Peru, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the United States, and Mexico to The Venetian® Macao, China.
The intense final game pitted Falcone against Tsutomu Doita of Japan, Brian Valentine of the United States, and reigning MONOPOLY World Champion, Bjørn Halvard Knappskog of Norway. After several masterful plays by the table, including a multi-player trade that secured each player his own property color set, Doita, who played as the top hat token, was the first to become bankrupt, followed by Valentine, who played as the battleship. Falcone, playing as the racecar and owning the orange property set, and Knappskog, playing as the thimble token and owning the green property set, battled head-to-head before Knappskog landed on two orange property spaces in succession and had to pay a fateful amount of rent to Falcone that he inevitably couldn’t recover from and led him to bankruptcy.
Falcone has been playing the MONOPOLY game for 26 years and won his spot in the MONOPOLY World Championship by winning the 2015 MONOPOLY tournament in Italy. He now follows in the footsteps of several notable MONOPOLY Champions, including Lee Bayrd, the first-ever MONOPOLY World Champion who took home the prize in 1973 and was in attendance to cheer on and offer advice to players at this year’s MONOPOLY World Championship.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the MONOPOLY brand’s 80th anniversary by gathering players from around the world for the 2015 MONOPOLY World Championship,” said Jonathan Berkowitz, senior vice president of global marketing, Hasbro Gaming. “This group of competitive MONOPOLY players brought true dedication and talent to the game, especially the winner Nicolò Falcone whose winning strategy and technique helped pave his way to victory.”
The first MONOPOLY World Championship tournament took place at Grossinger's Resort in New York in 1973. Since that time, 13 MONOPOLY tycoons have earned the title of World Champion, hailing from United States, Ireland, Singapore, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong and Spain. The 2015 MONOPOLY World Championship was sponsored by The Venetian Macao, which is celebrating its 8th anniversary this year. The event was organized by FM Event Limited and supported by the Macao Government Tourist Office and Aristo Securities Limited.
The MONOPOLY brand will also celebrate its anniversary with the new MONOPOLY HERE & NOW: World Edition and U.S. Edition games, on shelves this fall. Earlier this year, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) teamed up with BuzzFeed for the MONPOLY HERE & NOW property space vote, letting fans pick the cities from around the world that are featured on the two new boards.
The MONOPOLY brand is the world’s favorite family game brand and the game has been played by more than one billion people in 114 countries around the world. Whether fans play face-to-face, online or on their mobile or console devices, there is a MONOPOLY experience to fit every lifestyle. Learn more about the MONOPOLY brand at Monopoly.com and join the conversation at Facebook.com/Monopoly.
About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences, by leveraging its beloved brands, including LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, PLAY-DOH and TRANSFORMERS, and premier partner brands. From toys and games, television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and lifestyle licensing, Hasbro fulfills the fundamental need for play and connection with children and families around the world. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, ALLSPARK PICTURES, create entertainment brand-driven storytelling across mediums, including television, film, digital and more. Through the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).
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