The public has cast its’ vote early and it is to be PERTH that will be immortalised with its very own official customised MONOPOLY board, it is being announced tomorrow (Thursday April 23rd 2015).
Scotland’s acclaimed ancient capital city has seen off 19 other locations across Scotland from Dumfries to Stornaway and Ayr to St. Andrews to land this honour in MONOPOLY’s 80th anniversary year.
The world’s most famous board game is 80 this year and to celebrate, London games’ chiefs had originally shortlisted 20 Scottish locations then narrowed these down to half a dozen, with the public invited to vote on the following six locations: Ayr, Falkirk, Motherwell, Perth, Stirling and St. Andrews.
And it is Perth that has emerged triumphant!
The ‘Fair City’ commanded 28.6% of the vote just ahead of St. Andrews (27.9%).
Stirling was third (20.5%) followed by Ayr (8.7%), Falkirk (8.2%) and finally Motherwell (6.1%).
And now the public will get to vote all over again in a period dominated by election fever. And so as not to clash with a far more important election (!) polls will not open until May 8th.
This time it will be just for Perth landmarks to feature on (and fill) the new MONOPOLY: Perth Edition board. Voting gets underway the morning after the General Election.
So now the MONOPOLY dice will roll on Scotland’s widely recognised original capital city, with Scone Palace, where Kings and Queens were once crowned, tipped for a leading spot on the board. Also expected to be popular voting choices: popular voting choices: Perth Museum and Art Gallery, McDiarmid Park, Scone Racecourse and Perth High Street.
And as well as Perth landmarks swapping places with the MONOPOLY London properties many of the game’s Chance and Community Chest playing cards are being heavily themed too. So players could be fined for dropping litter at Branklyn Garden or rewarded with a VIP seat watching St. Johnstone FC.
Graham Barnes – MONOPOLY Executive at Winning Moves, the company producing the board under official license from MONOPOLY owners Hasbro – says:
“Many congratulations to Perth and thank you to everyone who voted. Scotland’s ancient capital will make a great board we are absolutely sure. Commiserations to the other five in the final stage of the contest.
“St. Andrews ran Perth extremely close all the way through the voting and at one point we were thinking we may have to roll the MONOPOLY dice to decide. Just two days before the voting ended they were dead-heating.
“It certainly was a great race and one worthy of MONOPOLY itself, with so many twists and turns during polling.”
Winning Moves UK will be formally making the announcement at 10am at the Perth Museum and Art Gallery on George Street, which is tipped to take one of the top spots on the new board.
Perth and Kinross Provost Liz Grant will be at the announcement, along with London MONOPOLY personnel.
Provost Grant says: “Perth has many famous landmarks which hold a special place in the hearts of visitors and residents. It will be wonderful to see these featured on the iconic MONOPOLY board.
“I am looking forward to seeing the final product and finding out which landmarks are chosen by the people of Perth to be featured. My personal vote would be to see Perth Museum & Art Gallery and its sister museum the Fergusson Gallery secure their places on the board.”
Mr Barnes adds: “The new board is a celebration of Perth past, present and future. and so the Exhibition at the museum is a very apt place to announce that Perth is getting its’ very own board.” [socialpoll id=”2267055″]
