Visa's Monopoly money

Toy maker Hasbro is doing its bit to keep pace with the vogue for virtual currency. When it launches this summer, Hasbro's latest edition of the 60s board game, The Game of Life, will be the first in America to replace cash with a Visa-branded card as the preferred form of currency.

A new electronic "LifePod" - which replaces the spin wheel from the classic game - acts like a personal assistant and serves as the electronic banking unit, storing each of the players' financial data as well as their status in the game.

It follows the firm's move last year to replace Monopoly money with Visa-branded credit cards in a modern new version of the classic board game. The revamped version incorporates an electronic card reader that records the earnings and payments for players and transfers money between them.

The marketing deparment at MasterCard must be spitting feathers.