People Named Emily Are More Likely To Cheat At Board Games, Research Suggests

When you’re playing board games and you’re hideously behind, sometimes it’s way too tempting to want to cheat. Not a lot, of course, just a little. Ahem. Well, according to research by British price comparison website Idealo.co.uk, people named Ashley and Emily are the biggest offenders when it comes to using underhanded methods to win.

1. Monopoly has seen a huge surge in sales since lockdown began. Idealo revealed that Monopoly has seen a 6000% surge in sales in the UK since lockdown measures were put in place in mid-March. That’s massive! Board games in general have seen a 2100% surge, which just proves more and more of us are sitting down to play than ever before.
2. One in 10 people Google how to cheat. While there were more than 2,100 Google searches for how to play Monopoly in the first place, but it was also discovered that one in 10 Brits searched for ways to successfully cheat at the game. Naughty!
3. People aren’t afraid to name and shame the cheaters. Marketing agency Boutique then conducted a survey off the back of Idealo’s research in which they asked members of the British public to name the members of their family most likely to cheat at board games. They happily obliged, and there were some names that came up more than others.
4. Emily was the worst female offender; Ashley the worst male. Just behind Emilys for women are Megans, Hannahs, Georgias, and Claires. Meanwhile, for the men, Ashleys are followed by Williams, Scotts, Callums, and Isaacs. Hang your head in shame!
5. Why can’t we all just play fair? As Idealo’s Ekin Ogurlu said, “The unfortunate situation everyone has found themselves in has seen people searching for more traditional games to help provide distractions and pass the time. We’re seeing revivals of old classics such as Scrabble and Risk to go alongside the ever-popular Monopoly, which is also seeing a burst in sales. It’s nice to see the spare time is being used by people to bond with their families and board games are the perfect pastime to do just that – unless you have an Emily or William in your house – then it might be best to keep the board games in the cupboard!”