If we asked you to choose which global icon appearing at the Venetian Macau this year is most famous, who would be your pick? Katy Perry perhaps? How about rock icons Bon Jovi? Or 90s pop giants the Backstreet Boys?
Wrong on all counts! In fact, the biggest name headed to the Venetian is none other than the board game Monopoly! From 7 to 9 September, Macau will play host to the 14th Monopoly World Championship with representatives from 25 countries battling it to be crowned the world’s best.
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2015, Monopoly is the highest selling board game of all time with more than 275 million units sold and can be found in 111 countries and 43 languages. Its first World Championships were held in New York in 1973 but only sporadically since with the most recent in Las Vegas in 2009. Defending champion Bjørn Halvard Knappskog, from Norway, will be in Macau to defend his title.
Defending champion Bjørn Halvard Knappskog of Norway
While all 25 competitors will arrive with the dream of becoming the 2015 Monopoly World Champion, just getting there in the first place is an achievement. To be crowned national champion of their respective countries, players must first progress through an exhausting series of quizzes and essays to reach the national final then play their way to victory against a field of up to 50 players.
The winner of the Monopoly World Championships will receive US$20,580 – the exact amount of money included in a modern Monopoly set.
