You've Been Playing Monopoly Wrong for Years — Official Rules Says You Can't Take Free Parking Money

Anyone who has tried to slog their way through a game of Monopoly knows that Free Parking is one of the best spots to land on — usually because that player gets to cash in on the various taxes and fees that have been collected throughout the game up until that point. This can instantly change the game for a player who is short on cash, but that's not actually how the board game is supposed to be played.

If you read the actual rules of Monopoly, the Free Parking space is supposed to be just that — a free spot to park on. As houses and hotels are erected across the board, the space is meant to be a free space for a player to land where they don't have to spend any of their money, but many players have been playing the game wrong for years.

In many comments online, players have noted that not implementing the Free Parking rule can actually cut down the time it takes to get through the game — and for those who know just how long it can take to play Monopoly, this is truly a game changer.

"Not using it halves the time a game takes, so I stopped when I later learned it wasn't a real rule," Reddit user SolidZealousideal115 pointed out in a comment on a post about the rule.

Others pointed out that though collecting the Free Parking money may make things a bit easier for players, that's ultimately not the point of the rage-inducing game.

"Making the game 'easier' isn't the point. It's antithetical to the point," another Reddit user pointed out. "It's supposed to be hard, you're supposed to go broke and drop out. It's a satire of rent-seeking capitalism."

Obviously, you can implement whatever house rules you'd like when playing Monopoly, but for those looking to actually get through a game, following the official rules will make it go by much faster.