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Miami Heat becomes the first NBA team to switch to mobile-only ticketing

Miami Heat has announced that it will only accept etickets on phones for the upcoming season. Even if you buy your ticket from the box office on the night, you still won’t get a paper one …

ESPN reports that this makes the team the first in the National Basketball Association to make the move.

Other teams, like the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers, have mobile-only ticketing, but they permit fans to use a driver’s license and credit card to get in.

Tickets do, however, remain transferrable.

ESPN notes that there’s one additional benefit to the team other than cost savings ad fraud reduction.

They also to get valuable information about the fan who actually winds up in a specific seat.

Not everyone is happy about the decision, some holding on to a paper ticket as a souvenir, but some teams that support paper ticketing are already starting to charge a premium for it.

Apple Wallet is already widely used for sports and concert tickets, by airlines for boarding passes and by stores for discount coupons. More uses are being explored, including the possibility of using it for digital driving licenses.

Photo: USA Today


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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