The study was conducted by GambleAware in its annual Treatment and Support Survey. It found a link between offers like McDonald's Monopoly and Gambling Harm. However, it was not just the fast food giant that proved to be the issue. Major prize draw companies like Omaze also contributed to this. It is estimated that 27% of people who gambled were at risk of problems stemming from taking part in these games.
The UK's Prize Draw Rules
Licences for popular games like Monopoly and even game shows such as Wheel of Fortune have been making their way into the gambling sector for some time. Starting with slot games, they now have many live dealer games more akin to interactive streamed game shows. This has been in the iGaming sector, where online casino games can be played for real money.
Luckily, the UK has a highly regulated market. This means its licensed operators have to abide by strict rules set out by the UK Gambling Commission. This has helped them stay in line when adapting new innovations, either in game offerings like crash gaming, or in other areas like payment methods. For example, you can now find Paysafecard on betting sites, a relatively new concept whereby you buy a prepaid code and deposit it to your account.
Current laws state that prize draws are not governed by UK gambling law, and thus, these rules do not apply. However, GambleAware believes they share many similarities, and people may not understand these risks. The survey also showed that support for gambling-related products and treatment had doubled since 2020. That is one in three adults, around 30%. This is up from one in five, around 17%, in 2020. The proportion of adults experiencing problem gambling also rose from 2.4% to 3.8% in the same time frame.
More worryingly is the knock-on impact this has. The ratio of family and friends who have been impacted by problem gambling is up to 4.3 million people. This shows a rise from 6.1% in that time frame to 8.1% in 2024. This would work out as 2 million children across the UK living in a household with a person who is experiencing problem gambling issues.
Statements on Gambling Harms from Omaze
When asked about the issues, prize draw company Omaze were quite open about the results. They reiterated that they take customer safeguarding very seriously and have an automated monthly spending limit for all customers. Their team reviews spending patterns and works to see if customers have multiple accounts. They then ended with “We operate in full compliance with all relevant UK regulations”.
Omaze has also announced that it will work with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and welcomes the findings. This will be to develop a voluntary code of conduct for the prize draw sector.
What Are the Chances of Winning in McDonald's Monopoly?
So far, McDonald's has yet to release a statement. In the United Kingdom, games of chance, such as slots, must display a percentage known as the return to player ratio (RTP). This is a marker of how much will be returned to a customer if they play and gamble over a prolonged period of time. For example, an RTP of 96% would mean a player gets 96% of their funds back, with 4% being kept by the house.
McDonald's Monopoly does not fall under UK gambling law, and thus does not have RTP ratings. Oddly, you do have to be over 18 to play, suggesting they may have some insight into the similarities and links.
The game is easy to play: you buy food from McDonald's, and it comes with game tokens. These can bag you a range of prizes, ranging from discounts to free burgers and high-ticket items like cash sums.
The tickets you get are in a peel-and-reveal format. This makes them extremely similar to scratch cards, which enhances the link between gambling. McDonald's does say that there is a one in four chance of an instant win, which seems fairly high. However, this also includes low-ticket items like discounts for more food.
When it comes to how much of each item is available to win, the figures tend to become a little hazy. Online outlets, collating data from various McDonald's promotions worldwide, have suggested there are around three top prizes of £100,000 in cash available. Some internet sleuths on forums have worked out that this is a less than 1 in 50 million chance.
When the scratchcard element is combined with Monopoly, a licence increasingly aligning itself with real money slots and the iGaming sector, the comparisons are obvious. As one of its biggest promotions and most loved, McDonald's, and owners of Monopoly, Hasbro, will be loath to let it go, and it will be unlikely we will see the end of the promotion.