You've been playing Monopoly all wrong – expert shares made-up rules you're using

Now that Christmas has finally landed, it's time to bring out the Monopoly board.

Board games are a key part of many family Christmas festivities, particularly when there's nothing left to watch on the telly, and you need something to keep the little ones busy.

One of the most favoured games to play at Christmas is the evergreen classic, Monopoly. Well, at least it's popular for about 10 minutes before everyone starts squabbling over property ownership.

A lot of the family disputes that arise from the game are due to disagreements over the rules, such as whether you can collect rent while in jail or if landing on Free Parking earns you all the tax money. However, according to one board game expert, these arguments occur because none of us are actually following the rules as they're written in the game instructions.

It comes after one TikTok user revealed a hack to win Monopoly in 60 seconds in a clip which garnered hundreds of likes. But of course, if you want to play the long game then you can really benefit from the correct rules.

Amber Crook, Editorial Chief and board games expert at Game Rules, has debunked several of the "made up" rules we often use when playing Monopoly, hopefully helping you avoid a family feud this Christmas.

Many families play Monopoly with a rule in place that whenever you pay taxes or fines, you put the money into the centre of the board. Then, when someone lands on the Free Parking square, they get a nice bonus and can pick up all the money that has been collected in the middle.

According to Amber, however, that is not an official rule. She said: "Many think that any in-game fines and taxes are paid to the Free Parking square for players to collect if they roll and land on it. While it may