Baseball Fans Can Buy a Beer With Amazon One Palm-Recognition Tech

Colorado Rockies fans can buy more than peanuts and Cracker Jack at Coors Field, which is now the first sports venue to use Amazon One palm-recognition technology for age verification when buying alcohol.

Visitors aged 21 and over to the downtown Denver baseball stadium can purchase beer, wine, and frozen margaritas by hovering their palm over an Amazon One device.

“Hearing from Amazon One customers across the country, we understand that they love the convenience it delivers,” says(Opens in a new window) John McKay, senior director of food service operations and development for the Colorado Rockies. “Shorter wait times, quick access to buildings and locations, being able to link their loyalty memberships, and now an easy way to grab their beer.”

(Credit: Amazon)

Those already enrolled in Amazon One can verify their age at one.amazon.com(Opens in a new window) by uploading a photo of the front and back of their government-issued ID and a selfie. Program newbies can pre-enroll online or at any Amazon One kiosk.

Amazon says staff will use the photo to cross reference against an ID and confirm identity when trying to buy alcohol. And the company does not store government-issued IDs, which are “securely transmitted” to an identity verification provider, it says.

When ordering a drink, customers hover their palm to activate a “21+” message. After a visual match of the on-screen photo, the bartender will proceed with the sale. Hold your hand over the Amazon One device again to make a payment.

Amazon introduced palm-recognition technology in 2020, allowing customers to check out in stores, wrack up loyalty points, enter venues, and badge into work with no added accessories. To get started, insert a credit card, hover your hand over the device, then follow on-screen prompts to link that card with your biometric stamp (with the option to enroll one palm or both).

Anyone with a cell phone number and credit card can sign up. You don’t even need an Amazon account (though subscribers have the added bonus of managing information and seeing usage history online). Registered users simply hold their unclenched hand above an Amazon One machine for a second rather than produce a credit card or cash.

Age verification is available now at Coors Field, and will roll out to “additional establishments” in the coming months. The technology is also at hand in more than 100 Whole Foods Market locations, select Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores, and multiple third-party locations, including Panera Bread restaurants and Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

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