I'm Never Surprised By A Rigged Contest

From 1995 to 2000, the winner of the McDonald’s Monopoly grand prize was an insider tasked with producing the game pieces.

Jacobson oversaw a security process that began at a printing plant where pieces were made, separated by value and stored in a vault. He was responsible for transporting those pieces in sealed envelopes to plants that manufactured McDonald’s food cartons and cups, where the pieces were supposed to be attached.

But Jacobson would slip into airport bathrooms, lock himself in stalls and carefully open the envelopes to steal the pieces. He received cash kickbacks for stealing 50 to 60 pieces and bought homes, cars and other property. Jacobson couldn’t redeem the pieces himself, nor could his family without attracting attention. Instead he sold the pieces to people he recruited through friends and family. Some of the recruits mortgaged their house to pay a mysterious figure they knew only as “Uncle Jerry.” The prizes included $10,000 cash prizes, cars, and even the rare $1 million prizes awarded with much fanfare.

(CavemanCircus.com)