The Pokemon Company has announced that Japan’s official Pokemon Card Store locations will begin using a facial recognition system to enforce store entry and purchase limits. The Pokemon Card Store locations are the company’s smaller, TCG-focused stores that are separate from its Pokemon Center locations.
Customers who wish to enter the stores must consent to facial recognition and will receive a numbered entry ticket. The system will verify that each customer only receives one entry ticket per day. If it detects that the same person has attempted to receive multiple tickets or enter the store more than once in a day, staff will deny entry.
The new measures are intended to prevent scalpers from circumventing entry and purchase limits.
Preschoolers are exempt from the facial recognition and may only enter with an adult. Staff may also question groups of customers if they suspect they are attempting to circumvent the entry rules.
According to the announcement, the stores will collect customers’ facial image data and visit counts. The Pokemon Company says the information will be stored securely for a certain amount of time in accordance with its privacy policy.
It’s unclear if these new measures could expand to Pokemon Center stores as well. Earlier this year, Pokemon also announced that select TCG purchases at Pokemon Centers will require a government-issued photo ID starting in August.