Jerry Jacobson: The Real Hamburglar
2/16/202654 min
Since its launch in 1987, McDonald’s Monopoly game has become a cultural obsession, with millions of people buying Big Macs and fries, convinced they might be one peel away from a million-dollar payday. But for nearly a decade, the jackpot was unwinnable. The man responsible for distributing the pieces, Jerry Jacobson, was quietly stealing them and selling them for profit. And like every Monopoly game, it eventually ended – only this time, when Jerry’s game was over, the house rules no longer protected him.
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First 90 secondsScaachi Koul· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Wondering...
Sarah Hagi· Host0:05
... Sachee, how do you feel about contests? Because I do feel like you have an opinion, and also, have you ever won anything?
Scaachi Koul· Host0:12
I don't feel particularly lucky, and I don't think I've ever won a contest.
Sarah Hagi· Host0:17
Yeah, I also feel the same way, but I do look up to people who are, like, always entering contests. Because I guess the thing is, like, you will win eventually. You just have to enter as many as you can.
Scaachi Koul· Host0:26
I admire any commitment to almost any bet.
Sarah Hagi· Host0:29
That's really true.
Scaachi Koul· Host0:31
[laughing] [laughing] Even if it's evil, I'm like, "Well, you tried!"
Sarah Hagi· Host0:36
[laughing] I'm like, "You committed to something, and I can't do that." Yeah, I agree. Well, today, I'm gonna tell you the crazy story of why one huge fast food contest promised customers winnings of fancy cars or millions of dollars, but no one ever won anything but small fries and cheeseburgers, at least not legitimately. The system was rigged as hell, and there was one guy deciding who won and who lost, and he decided we are losers. [upbeat music] It's August 2001, and Amy Murray is standing outside a brick townhouse in Rhode Island, holding a gigantic novelty check for a million dollars. Amy is 30 years old with shoulder-length blonde hair. She looks like she could have been a cheerleader in high school. Amy is here to present the check to a man named Michael Hoover, who's basically won the lottery. Not the state