The Las Vegas Raiders have entered into a partnership with identification-verification provider Clear, building on a relationship that had previously seen the Raiders use Clear services at Allegiant stadium for entry, concessions ordering and Covid vaccination checks.
Announced in December 2022, the agreement names Clear as the “official fan experience and secure identity partner” for the Raiders and Allegiant Stadium. According to Clear, the partnership with the Raiders is its most extensive yet in sports, in what the company hopes is an expanding future market for their various identity-verification services.
“We think stadiums are an exciting world for our business,” said Catesby Perrin, executive vice president of growth for Clear. “The Raiders are very forward-thinking and innovative, and we’re excited about our work there.”
‘Fast’ lanes and Covid checks
Known generally for its airport-based verification service, where flyers can purchase a subscription (list price is $189 per year but discounts are available for members of some frequent-flyer programs) to a program that provides expedited security screening, Clear launched some different programs for stadiums several years ago that provided so-called “fast lane” entry to venues. While the stadium-only service is free to users, it is not linked to ticketing or stadium security screening, meaning that fans who use the Clear lanes still have to go through the regular entry processes.
The Clear lanes have been available at a number of pro sports venues, including Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium in New York, Banc of California Stadium and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Ball Arena and Coors Field in Denver, State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Chase Center and Oracle Park in San Francisco, PayPal Park and SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., Lumen Field in Seattle, and Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Stadium in Las Vegas.
Clear also gained some more stadium traction during the Covid pandemic with its free Clear Health Pass service, which provided digital proof of vaccination. Allegiant Stadium and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle were two of the venues who used the Clear Health Pass service to allow fans to quickly show the then-needed proof of Covid vaccination. And Clear also was previously used to provide “order a beer with your finger” services at Lumen Field, a service Clear no longer provides.
Adding more third-party services
With the advent of all-digital ticketing and walk-through security scanning technologies, it’s not apparent that having a separate entry lane would make the Clear service noticeably faster at venues with both options. But according to Perrin, Clear is actively seeking to expand the number of Clear-related services beyond entry. The partnership with the Raiders is an example of this type of service, where fans in certain club-seating areas can now use the stadium app and Clear to order delivery of concessions, including using a selfie photo to verify age for purchase of alcoholic beverages.
According to Clear, fans can use the free Clear version to sign up for the Raiders’ beverage delivery verification process, with a one-time need to send in a photo of their ID. After that, enrolled fans need only to snap a selfie every time they order for age verification.
“We can power any third-party experience” that wants to develop a link to the Clear identity-verification services, Perrin said, though no others in development have yet to be announced. Possible stadium services that might benefit from a faster, digital-based verification system include club or premium area access, concessions and merchandise purchasing, and checkout-free stands, many of which currently still require human staffers to check fan IDs. However, some new innovations are already emerging in that space, including concession purchases which use facial authentication technology to verify age.
In its most recent financial filings, Clear’s leadership talked about its “new” Clear strategy to move beyond travel-based services, using a software developer kit (SDK) that could make integration with third-party services easier. According to Clear, Avis rental car customers can now use Clear for faster access to vehicles.
“We are more bullish about sports than ever,” said Perrin. In its announcement with the Raiders, Clear said it is looking to add more services soon, but had no new ones to announce.
