The Pokemon Company is considering a stricter identity check for Pokemon TCG sales and events in Japan, with some customers potentially asked to verify a Player's Club account through the country's My Number card system.
In an official Pokemon Card Game notice, the company says it is looking at My Number card authentication as part of an effort to give customers fair access and let them use its services safely. The plan has not been locked in yet, but The Pokemon Company is aiming at a possible start around August 2026 for some online lotteries and events.
The proposed system would apply to priority lotteries and sales for select products through Pokemon Center Online, along with applications for some official tournaments and events held in Japan. The notice says the verification process would use an external service and a smartphone to read the IC chip inside a My Number card, then authenticate the linked Player's Club account.
The privacy caveat is important. The Pokemon Company says it would use the card's electronic certificate functions for identity verification, but would not obtain or store a customer's My Number itself.
Why Pokemon TCG Wants Stronger Account Checks
Pokemon TCG demand has made limited products a repeated target for resellers, especially when new expansions, special boxes or lottery-only items are involved. A government-linked ID check would be a major step compared with purchase limits or account rules because it targets the multiple-account problem directly.
The event side of the plan also has recent context. In September 2025, The Pokemon Company said it had found improper conduct during the Pokemon Card Game Champions League 2026 Yokohama senior division, including players entering with accounts that were not theirs, falsifying age and lending accounts to other people. At the time, the company said it was considering personal authentication for Player's Club accounts and ID checks at major tournaments.
That makes this more than a storefront anti-scalping measure. If adopted, the same verification push could affect both collectors trying to buy cards online and competitive players entering official events in Japan.
The company has not named the exact products, tournaments or age-based rules that would be covered. It also notes that My Number card issuance can usually take one to two months, so customers who expect to use the affected services may want to apply early if they do not already have one.
Pokemon TCG remains one of the biggest pillars of the broader franchise, with new physical releases continuing alongside digital and game-side Pokemon news. Recent card coverage on Gamers Now includes the Pokemon TCG Pitch Black set getting a July release date, another reminder of how quickly attention can move to the next product wave.
For now, the key point is scope. The plan is Japan-focused, it is still under consideration and it does not mean every Pokemon TCG purchase will require government ID. If The Pokemon Company follows through, though, it would be one of the clearest signs yet that the publisher wants stronger identity controls around high-demand cards and official competitive play.