This is just another reason your grandfather doesn’t want to go to NBA games anymore — the man can’t figure out how to answer a text and you want him to use a mobile ticket?
The Miami Heat will do away with paper tickets and are moving to mobile phone entry only at American Airlines Arena starting next season, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN.The Miami Heat announced Thursday that fans who attend home games this upcoming season will only be able to get through the gate with tickets on their phones.
In doing so, the team becomes the first in the NBA with mobile-only entry. 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.
Fans who walk up to Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena on game night will receive Heat tickets on their phones, even though they are at the box office.
It’s a big leap, last year about a third of the people attending Heat games used mobile entry.
These mobile tickets are supposed to be still transferable, but it’s not difficult to imagine there could be glitches with that. The Heat say they think this will cut down on ticket fraud and lets them know more about the person entering the arena.
A number of teams — across multiple sports — prefer season ticket holders to use mobile entry and ask them to pay a little more for printed tickets. Still, those paper tickets — with pictures of players on them — were souvenirs for many. It’s not the same with a mobile ticket.