The Pokémon Company Considers Government ID Check to Combat Trading Card Scalping in Japan

The Pokémon Company Considers Government ID Check to Combat Trading Card Scalping in Japan

The Pokémon Company announced today that it is considering introducing an ID verification system in Japan to tackle scalping and cheating related to Pokémon Trading Card Game products and events. The system will utilize Japan’s “My Number” card, a government-issued social security card. As spotted by Automaton, The Pokémon Company issued an official heads’ up to Pokémon TGC fans in Japan that from August 2026 this year, access to certain service…

What’s happening with Pokémon TCG scalper prevention?

Pokémon will use My Number Card verification for select TCG lotteries The Pokémon Company says it plans to introduce identity verification using Japan’s My Number Card system for select Pokémon TCG product lotteries sold through Pokémon Center Online . The goal is explicitly to help fight scalpers…

Pokémon Could Soon Use National ID Verification In an Attempt to Fight Scalpers

Pokémon Could Soon Use National ID Verification In an Attempt to Fight Scalpers: Starting around August 2026, the My Number Card authentication will gate access to select Pokémon Center Online sales and official tournaments.

Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases

New system would prevent non-residents from buying certain items from Pokémon Center Online. Scalping is becoming an increasingly big problem for the Pokémon franchise in Japan, and we’ve been seeing increasingly inventive attempts to counter resellers’ attempts to snatch up in-demand items and flip them for profit, such as stores making shoppers pass a Pokémon quiz before they can make a purchase or taking scissors to the packaging afterwards. …

Pokémon Co. considering requiring government-issued IDs in Japan for certain Pokémon purchases and events to combat scalping

Your move, scalpers