Biometric ticketing for sports and live events set to explode in 2025

2024 was arguably the year in which sports finally became a major market for biometrics. While experiments with biometric ticketing and event entry have been run for years, this year saw league-wide deployments of facial biometrics for credentialing, and new use cases in concession, merchandise and biometric alcohol sales. European football loves biometrics; so does its American counterpart in the NFL.

Wicket, Veridas, Clear and NEC are among firms leading the biometric charge. But with the global live events industry pegged to be worth US$754.04 billion by 2030, there is plenty of room for growth and innovation. Recent survey results show almost half of venues (47 percent) consider biometrics a top initiative for 2025.

Digital IDV for ticketing can reduce wait times by 68%: PYMNTS

A new market intelligence report from PYMNTS looks at how “Novel ID Verification Technologies in Stadiums Can Change the Game Beyond Sports.”

Research shows that benefits of biometric identity verification at stadiums include efficiency as well as security.

“Consistently accurate ID validation tools, such as barcode scanning, help identify unauthorized entries and prevent ticket fraud,” says the report. “Even stronger forms add elements of liveness detection to ensure that bad actors cannot upload photos of others to match their IDs and trick systems.”

More significant for fan experience, “digital ID and barcode-based ID verification technologies help streamline entry, reducing wait times by up to 68 percent with systems like MLB’s ‘Go-Ahead Entry.’”

Go-Ahead Entry is MLB’s proprietary ticketless access system, with biometrics provided by NEC. The statistic comes from a 2023 Go-Ahead Entry pilot at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia, which found that biometric lines moved 68 percent faster, and allowed 2.5 times more people to pass through than the fastest lane using physical or smartphone-based tickets.

NFTs not just for bored apes anymore, as ticketing uses emerge

PYMNTS also highlights the growing role of blockchain as a tool in stadium ticketing. “NFTs (non-fungible tokens) may have registered as a fad for some consumers, but their authenticity has value in this space,” says the report.

“NFTs in ticketing are projected for a 13.67 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 to 2031, suggesting a shift toward blockchain-based ticketing. This shift allows tokenized tickets to reduce fraud, improve smart contract automation and control the secondary market by limiting unauthorized resales.”

Partnerships in this space include a project by the Golden State Warriors and the Chase Center to incorporate blockchain solutions into ticketing operations.

Biometrics at Betplay League final ‘worked flawlessly’

South America has been an active market for biometrics at live events. In December, Veridas announced its face biometrics deployment in the 85,000-capacity Mâs Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brazil authorities used facial recognition to identify and apprehend a notorious organized crime boss at São Paulo’s Allianz Park stadium during a major football match.

In Colombia, biometric identity verification deployed at the recent Betplay League final at the Atanasio Girardot stadium in Medellín has won praise from National Registrar Hernán Penagos.

The deployment saw 200 biometric devices installed and 1,200 identity verification checks conducted by officials from the National Registry and uniformed police. According to LAFM, Panagos says “the application worked flawlessly” and produced results that are “very satisfactory.”

So satisfactory that more biometric tools are on the way. Panagos says he intends to review “how we come to an agreement with local authorities, and also with Dimayor, to determine how we can make biometric identification become something permanent.”

In parallel with expansion of biometrics in sports and live events, Colombia is also integrating biometric technology into its elections.

Cost, privacy, regulation among challenges for future

Biometrics for sporting events are a hit – but it’s not out of the park just yet. The financial burden for entry remains high. “Deploying systems that utilize this data at scale involves significant investment in specialized equipment, training and system integration,” says the PYMNTS report. “While large venues may manage these costs, smaller ones may find budget is a barrier.”

Moreover, privacy concerns linger among the event-going public (and some employees). “A recent survey found that 40 percent of respondents feared venues would misuse their data. Another 35 percent were wary of increased monitoring.”

With compliance requirements coming in through legislation like the EU AI Act, there will be additional pressure on stadiums to find solutions that work within proscribed regulatory limits. As such, “stadiums must test and evaluate their systems continuously, balancing inclusivity and reliability.”

Article Topics

access control  |  biometric ticketing  |  biometrics  |  CLEAR  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  facial authentication  |  NEC  |  Veridas  |  Wicket