Pokémon Could Soon Use National ID Verification In an Attempt to Fight Scalpers
The Pokémon Company plans to implement a My Number Card identity verification system for select Pokémon TCG product lotteries and events in Japan, targeting a launch in August 2026. This initiative aims to combat scalping and ensure fair access for genuine players and collectors. The system will authenticate identities without storing personal identification numbers, addressing long-standing access issues in the Pokémon TCG market.
- ▪The My Number Card system will use smartphone IC chip reading linked to a player's Players Club account.
- ▪This move comes in response to severe scalping and multi-account bot abuse affecting fair access to Pokémon TCG products.
- ▪The Pokémon Company has advised customers without a My Number Card to apply early to participate in upcoming lotteries and events.
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| Original publisher | Hypebeast |
| Canonical URL | https://hypebeast.com/2026/5/the-pokemon-company-considering-government-issued-id-checks-tcg-product-purchases-fight-scalpers |
| Publication time | Fri, 22 May 2026 08:23:17 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-22T08:32:01.187Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-22T08:32:01.187Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
| Cluster | -ee54qFv1KrA |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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Martin Lelievre / Afp Via Getty Images Gaming 8 Mins ago 0 Views 0 CommentsComments Save Summary The Pokémon Company has announced plans to introduce a My Number Card identity verification system for select Pokémon TCG product lotteries on Pokémon Center Online and some official Japanese tournaments, targeting an August 2026 launch Authentication will work via smartphone IC chip reading linked to a player’s Players Club account; the company has confirmed it will not collect or store customers’ My Number personal identification numbers The announcement arrives against a backdrop of years of severe scalping and multi-account bot abuse that has made fair access to Pokémon TCG products in Japan increasingly difficult for genuine collectors and players The Pokémon Company has announced it is…
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