Pokémon cards only with a facial scan: New anti-scalping rule draws criticism

Since the trading card boom during the pandemic, Pokémon cards have become a highly profitable business – not just for The Pokémon Company, but also for scalpers who buy up new sets in bulk and resell them at significantly higher prices. To address the issue, the company is now introducing a more drastic measure in Japan. As announced by The Pokémon Company (in Japanese), customers entering selected Pokémon Card Stores will now have to verify their identity using facial recognition – even elementary school-aged children.

The system will initially be introduced at five temporary stores, which will operate from July 31 to August 16, 2026 to coincide with the release of the new Storm Emerald expansion. The participating locations are Natori, Chōfu, Higashiura, Hiroshima-Fuchū and Chikushino. The facial recognition system is designed to check whether a customer has already visited the same store or received an admission ticket earlier that day. Each person is limited to one visit or one ticket per day, although the restriction applies only to individual stores. In theory, customers could still visit all five locations in a single day. The Pokémon Company has not yet disclosed how many booster packs each customer will be allowed to purchase.

Community reaction is mixed

The announcement has sparked mixed reactions on Reddit. While some users welcome any additional measures against scalpers, others argue that collecting biometric data – particularly from children – is disproportionate. According to The Pokémon Company, the collected data will be securely protected, used only for the stated purposes and deleted after an unspecified period of time. However, the company has not disclosed how long the data will actually be retained or how reliable the facial recognition system is in practice.

Another common criticism is that facial recognition alone is unlikely to eliminate scalping. Professional resellers could still send friends, relatives or paid helpers into the stores to purchase large quantities of cards on their behalf. Whether the new system proves effective – and whether it will eventually be expanded beyond these five temporary stores in Japan – remains to be seen.