Imagine a world where everything you need to get into your favorite ballpark is not only in the palm of your hand; it is your hand. Well, your fingers to be exact. This season, several Major League Baseball stadiums will allow patrons to enter by scanning their fingertips.
According to Fox Business, the MLB will partner with the services firm CLEAR to link a person’s ticketing information to their fingertips using biometric ticketing.
The plan is to eventually develop facial recognition as well.
“We’ll be able to immediately link CLEAR accounts to their MLB.com account. Your biometrics, your face and fingerprint, become your ticket,” CLEAR co-founder and CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker told FOX Business. CLEAR is already available at airports, allowing passengers to skip the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) lines and head straight to the metal detectors and body scanners. According to their website, “All you need is you. Just you. No ID, no hassle. Confirm your identity with the tap of a finger or the blink of an eye, and leave your wallet where it belongs.”The cost is $15 per month.
“Our collaboration with CLEAR is an important new technology initiative, delivering safe, simple and seamless experiences for fans,” said Noah Garden, EVP, Business, Major League Baseball. “Developing a partnership that will unify emerging identity technology and ticketing is reflective of our commitments to always improving ballpark accessibility and maintaining critical security standards.”
CLEAR’s platform is currently used by nine MLB clubs, among its 13 professional sports partnerships. CLEAR will also soon unveil new biometric-powered concessions in the state of Washington, enabling fans to pay for food, beer and validate legal age with just the tap of a finger or blink of an eye.
The Kansas City Royals do not currently use the system in their ticketing process.