The Pokémon Company is rolling out a digital identity verification system this August for future sales of the Pokémon Trading Card Game in an attempt to clamp down on scalping activities.

Back in May, the company already announced that it was planning to make the move with the aim of "providing all customers with fair and equal opportunities." June then saw the clarification that this system would be used for products related to the game's 30th anniversary. It has now come to light that the verification process will take place through the Digital Identification App, an official government service that uses the My Number Card.

For many years now, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has used a lottery system to distribute stock fairly in the face of overwhelming demand. While this is much better than sales on a first come, first serve basis, it does not prevent mass entries to the lottery by using multiple emails and phone numbers. Digital verification should mean that entries will be limited to one person per My Number Card.

That being said, there are some obvious criticisms of this policy. First of all, there is nothing to prevent scalpers from using other My Number Cards from friends and family to make multiple entries. Anyone who does not have a My Number Card, most notably foreign tourists, will also be locked out of sales... but it might be better than the alternative.