The Maltese edition of the popular game Monopoly is expected to hit local stores in October, turning 22 localities into potential development zones without the need for a planning permit.
A board of 15 members is still in the process of deciding exactly which localities - including two in Gozo - will make it on the Maltese edition of the decades-old game. Corradino is guaranteed a space on the board since there is only one prison in Malta.
Sabrina Mulligan, a self-confessed Monopoly fan and the brains behind the new venture, said a final list of localities and four sites, which have to be decided by the board, will be submitted to Monopoly's mother company Hasbro in the first week of June so that work on the board game can start.
Distribution is also confirmed in both Australia and the US, with shoppers expected to be mainly Maltese immigrants who left local shores but are still interested in 'buying' a piece of the island.
Although the board - made up of people from various sectors, including tourism, environment, culture, media and the property market - has a free hand to decide which localities will go on the board game, Ms Mulligan pointed out that the final game has to represent the island and include towns and villages from the north, south and centre of the country.
The new Monopoly will propel the Maltese language into a realm of games, since all the localities will go with their original Maltese name, although the game rules will be in both Maltese and English. The 'chance' and 'community chest' cards that make up part of the game will also be tailored for Malta, which will be joining another 56 countries that all have their own versions of the game.
Ms Mulligan said local businessmen will be invited to play the first round of Monopoly Malta, but using real money with the proceeds going to charity.
Monopoly was born in 1933, the brainchild of Charles Darrow from Philadelphia. Since he was unemployed and could no longer hit the casinos in Atlantic City, he decided to create his own game, which received the approval of his family and friends who all wanted copies. Mr Darrow started making them copies for $4. Just two years after its inception, Monopoly became the best-selling game in the US.
Monopoly trivia
• Over 250 million sets of the Monopoly game have been sold worldwide.
• The longest Monopoly game lasted for 70 days.
• The Monopoly game is published in 27 languages.
• A Braille edition of the Monopoly game was created for the visually impaired in the 1970s.
• The total amount of money in a standard Monopoly game is $15,140 (€9,808).
• A set of Monopoly made by Alfred Dunhill and including gold and silver houses and hotels sold for $25,000. A chocolate version of the game was offered in the 1978 Nieman Marcus Christmas catalogue for $600.
• The game was rejected by Parker Brothers in 1933, citing 52 fundamental playing flaws.
• Escape maps, compasses and files were inserted into Monopoly game boards and smuggled into prisoner of war camps in Germany during World War II.