The McDonald's Monopoly Game: A Supersized McFlop with Beth Stelling and Ify Nwadiwe | 85

The Big Flop

Wondery

Society & Culture, Comedy, Business

4.6 • 884 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Hamburglar was just a mascot, but Jerome Jacobson was the real deal - a McDonald's security chief who pulled off the ultimate inside job. While millions of Americans peeled game pieces hoping for a miracle, this master manipulator was turning Big Macs into big bucks, orchestrating a multi-million dollar fraud. Discover the supersized story of how one man's greed turned America's favorite promotion into the biggest McFlop in fast-food history.

Ify Nwadiwe and Beth Stelling, join Misha to get salty about the McDonald’s Monopoly game.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we dive into today's tale of catastrophe, I have to tell you about Wondery Plus.
0:06.4	If you're someone who craves the juicy details behind the biggest flops, Wondery Plus is
0:12.5	exactly what you need. Add free episodes and early access to new stories that will take you
0:18.7	even deeper into the world of business blunders.
0:22.4	Trust me, it's a game changer.
0:24.7	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcast.
0:36.4	Remember when a big, beautiful, family-sized house cost $250,000?
0:44.5	Something like that today would be, what?
0:46.9	Triple the price?
0:48.7	Well, imagine, you get that house for free.
0:51.9	Grandpa gets a million dollars and your best friend wins a brand new car, all thanks
0:57.1	to the McDonald's Monopoly game.
1:00.2	If that sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.
1:04.5	Unless, of course, you're the Robin Hood of scammers, or I guess in this case the
1:10.1	hamburger of scammers. Let's guess in this case the hamburger of scammers.
1:12.7	Let's get into it, Besties.
1:15.2	It's the monopoly game only at McDonald's with over 50 million prizes and supersized excitement.
1:21.6	For years and years, the game was compromised. It was rigged.
1:27.3	The scam worked for more than a decade. With the crooks making off with more than 20 The game was compromised. It was rigged.
1:32.5	The scam worked for more than a decade, with the crooks making off with more than $24 million.
1:40.0	We are on a sinking ship.
1:50.3	Life-changing. That's how men with low testosterone described feeling after receiving Manuel's testosterone service.
	...

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