OAK BROOK, Ill., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- McDonald's will offer $15 million in prizes as part of its settlement of lawsuits stemming from a nationwide scam that fixed promotional games.
A former security director for Simon Marketing, McDonald's former marketing partner that ran "Monopoly" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," pleaded guilty in April 2002 to masterminding the theft of $24 million in winning McDonald's game tickets.
The latest settlement, announced Tuesday, resolved lawsuits between McDonald's and Simon Worldwide Inc., the Los Angeles-based parent company of Simon Marketing, which ran the games for McDonald's for more than 25 years before the scandal broke, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
"We are closing the books on this old issue now that it has been settled to our satisfaction," said McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker.
Details about the $15 million giveaway, including the dates and terms, were unavailable. They will be publicized in the future, Riker said.
