The recession has taken a toll on the real estate business, but Norwegian student Bjørn Halvard Knappskog proved yesterday you can still make money by snapping up properties.
Knappskog, 19, was able to fend off fierce competition to win $20,580 (£12,619) at the Monopoly World Championship in Las Vegas. The prize money represents the total amount in the bank of a standard Monopoly board game.
New Zealander Geoff Christopher landed consecutively on Pacific and North Carolina avenues, two properties owned by Knappskog. Christopher was unable to pay the $1,600 rent, handing Knappskog the win.
"I was really happy to be here whether I won or lost, but I'm also very happy to have won," Knappskog said. He said: "[I'm] the most surprised you could ever be. I think this was a really good final. It was the best game I played in the whole tournament."
Monopoly was patented in 1935 by American Charles Darrow, who designed the game with the help of his wife and son. Darrow lost his job in the stock market crash of 1929 and was inspired to create Monopoly after seeing neighbours play a homemade game about buying and selling property.
With 485 million players worldwide, Monopoly is considered to be the most commercially successful board game in US history.
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