Squander (1965)

Squander -- the game that allows you to live like a millionaire! Start with a million Squanderbucks. Buy hotels, gold mines -- be a tycoon on the stock market -- take impossible chances at Roulette, Monte Carlo, "21" and at the Horse Races. Spend as recklessly as you wish. The first player to Squander his million wins the game!"

Technically the game is titled "$QUANDER", as a dollar sign is used in place of the "S" in the title on the box cover and in the rules.

from "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

Squander (1965) Discontinued 1972
Freelance design revised by Avalon Hill
Designed by Cmdr. Walter Whitney

SQUANDER was the “anti-Monopoly” of the 60’s only it didn’t receive any of the notoriety or success of the latter. A take-off of MONOPOLY in which the winner was the player to lose all of his money, SQUANDER proved aptly named in more ways than one. It was discontinued after selling only 26,000 copies—half of those during its initial year of introduction.

Not part of quoted passage:

An interesting point here is that Avalon Hill published the "poor" sales figures here. They also mentioned that Guadalcanal sold only 27,000 copies (1966) and that Shakespeare sold 23,000 copies one year (this was stated as an example of good sales). So, it's hard to see the dividing line between excellent (23,000) and pitiful (13,000) in sales.

Magazine References:

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.1
  • Squander – “$quander - the game for born losers” (Commentary)
• The GENERAL Vol.2,No.4
  • Squander – “$quander Endorsed by Millionaire” (Commentary)