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People Are Losing It Over This Auction Rule In Monopoly

People Are Losing It Over This Auction Rule In Monopoly

This small rule would surely cut down playing time from an eternity to an hour or so...

Rachael Grealish

Rachael Grealish

Since its creation back in 1935, Monopoly-caused family feuds is as synonymous to the festive season as mince pies and Christmas trees.

PA

Whether it's a shady banker, unruly purchasing tactics or relentless bad luck in rolling the dice, the game usually ends in tears, fights or someone tossing the board in the bin.

One of the more frustrating moments is eyeing up a property that you're keen to take into your greedy little hands, only to see someone else land on it first.

This subject has, once again, set the internet ablaze with people confused over the rule.

On person tweeted: "When someone lands on a property in Monopoly & they don't buy it, IT GOES TO AUCTION for any player to buy. IT. IS. IN. THE. RULES."

Another said: "Isn't the idea of Monopoly to illustrate how unevenly and arbitrarily the wealth is distributed? So the players allows the youngest to start and use "see the sights" rule and ignore the auction so it obfuscates that a lot."

A third said: "Monopoly isn't so bad if you follow the dang rules! 1) NO FREE MONEY - Free parking is just that. 2) If a player does not want a property, it must go to auction. This prevents unowned properties as the game goes on 3) There is a limit of houses+hotels. Respect it!"

PA

Just for clarification this is the actual rules: "If the player lands on an unowned property, whether street, railroad, or utility, they can buy the property for its listed purchase price. If they decline this purchase, the property is auctioned off by the bank to the highest bidder, including the player who declined to buy."

This certainly would have changed the outcome in many of the games I played as a youngster as plenty of players might have dismissed the opportunity to buy Pall Mall or Leicester Square.

This would dramatically reduce the amount of time spent on the game as you wouldn't need to rely on the luck of rolling the number you want to land on the property. Sure, you still need to have enough cash in your pocket to buy the square, but you wouldn't have to take seven trips around the board.

According to official figures, the average playing time is between 60-240 minutes. It's certainly not the game you pull out willy-nilly, it's the one you dust off if you have a spare five hours handy.

Surely as we get closer to the festive season where many will be spending plenty of time with their families, this rule will be loudly announced before the game starts to ensure a speedy win for someone.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Monopoly, Games