Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon's Palm-Scanning Tech Now Lets You Buy Beer at This MLB Stadium
Keep your ID in your pocket at Coors Field, where you can prove you're of legal drinking age with a wave of your hand.
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Coors Field patrons can now prove their age, plus pay for a beer, with their palm.
The next time you take yourself out to the ballgame, you might be able to pay for beer and prove you're of age to drink it, all with a touch of your palm. Denver's Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies, is the first sports venue to offer Amazon One's age verification capability, Amazon said Monday.
Amazon One is the palm-based identity service that lets you pay and verify your identity by hovering your hand above a scanner at various stores and venues. Some Whole Foods and Panera locations already use, or are adding, the palm scanners.
To use the Amazon One service, you first have to enroll. Coors Field offers enrollment kiosks at its SandLot Brewery, the first brewery inside an MLB ballpark, and at Silver Bullet Bar, a full-service bar specializing in local and national craft beers. Those who are already Amazon One members can enroll in the age-verification part of the service by visiting one.amazon.com and uploading a photo of the front and back of your government-issued ID, such as your driver's license, and a selfie.
The technology might not seem like it would save you much time, but every second may count as Major League Baseball games are moving more quickly these days. The new pitch clock has cut almost half an hour off the average MLB game this year, according to The Ringer.
Automated recognition via physical characteristics is known as biometrics, and it's raised privacy concerns. Amazon and other companies face lawsuits claiming that they used photographs obtained without permission to train their technologies.
The age-verification service is now available at Coors Field, and will be introduced to other venues in the coming months.