Coors Field, home of Major League
Baseball’s Colorado Rockies, is the first location to let people purchase alcohol beverages by holding their palms over Amazon One payment devices.
Amazon said yesterday it has added a
feature to Amazon One called “age verification” that does away with the need for people to produce a government-issued ID.
“Verifying a customer’s age for every alcohol
purchase is a known friction point for retailers, bars and breweries,” Amazon said in a blog post. “It leads to longer transaction times and puts a strain on employee
productivity.”
A touchless-payment device that scans palms, Amazon One is used by retailers including Whole Foods Market and Panera Bread restaurants, along with sports stadiums and
entertainment venues.
People enrolled in Amazon One can access the age verification feature by uploading a photo of the front and back of their government-issued ID—such as a
driver’s license—and a selfie.
Once they hold a palm over an Amazon One, an employee sees a “21+” message along with the selfie on the device’s screen and then
does a visual match of the photo and the customer.
When the customer is ready to pay, they hold their palm over the Amazon One device again and are charged for their purchase.
At Coors
Field, Amazon One kiosks are available at the SandLot Brewery, the first brewery inside a Major League Ballpark, and Silver Bullet Bar, a full-service bar specializing in local and national craft
beers.
“As the first sports stadium to enable cutting-edge palm recognition technology like Amazon One for age verification, we are enabling a friction-free experience for Colorado
Rockies fans so they can grab a drink and get back to the game faster,” John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Colorado Rockies, was quoted as saying on
the Amazon blog.