Monopoly will eschew the paper faux-money that has been a cornerstone of the game for years, and will embrace a system that is not only cashless but totally contactless – players will simply tap their “card” on an “ATM” whenever they are purchasing a property or paying/collecting rent.

The trend towards contactless payments in real life has been escalating in recent years with the emergence of Apple Pay and Google Wallet, among others, so it’s hardly surprising that game developers would look at the trends and tailor their products accordingly.

Of course, another popular version of Monopoly eschews physical pieces entirely – the app/mobile game. Hasbro also released a cashless (but not contactless) version of the game in 2007, but that did not prove popular as it necessitated entering in figures and amounts in a keypad. As in real life, the trend is toward convenience, whether that is in board games or in mobile payments.

Hasbro representatives said that not only would the game’s update speed it up, but it would also cut down on cheating. No in-game cash means no banker.