Pokémon Card Stores requiring facial recognition scans for entry in Japan in latest anti-scalper move

On July 24, the Pokémon Card Game’s official website quietly announced that it will be introducing a facial recognition system for customers wishing to enter Japan’s Pokémon Card Stores. Agreement to the scan is a requisite for entering the stores.

The Pokémon Company says that facial recognition scans are being implemented for the purposes of crime prevention and to ensure compliance with entry and purchase rules, with that last point implying that this is the latest attempt to combat the growing problem of Pokémon card scalping.

Facial scans will be required for all shoppers of elementary school age or older, which translates into ages 6 and up. Children younger than 6 will not need to have their faces scanned, but are also prohibited from entering the Pokémon Card Stores without being accompanied by a parent or guardian, so in effect no one will be getting into the stores without themselves or someone in their group getting scanned. The Pokémon Company says that facial and visit number data will be retained to the extent necessary to fulfill the system’s safety and anti-scalping purposes, then deleted “after a certain amount of time has passed.”