The Tampa Bay Rays announced the launch of MLB Go-Ahead Entry at Tropicana Field, becoming the seventh club to provide their fans with the optional, hands-free ballpark entry experience developed by Major League Baseball.

The use of the facial authentication-based gate management system will begin on Friday, August 30. Fans 18 and older can voluntarily opt-in for MLB Go-Ahead Entry in the MLB Ballpark app for the ultimate hands-free experience. Children under 18 can accompany a parent or legal guardian to enter through Go-Ahead Entry lanes if the adult is registered for Go-Ahead Entry. Registration for Go-Ahead Entry is not permitted for children under 18.

¡°Go-Ahead Entry will dramatically improve the experience at Tropicana Field by reducing lines and eliminating the need to scan tickets,¡± said Rays Chief Business Officer Bill Walsh. ¡°After registering, fans simply walk in. Go-Ahead Entry is the latest example of our commitment to improve the fan experience at Tropicana Field and at our future ballpark.¡±

MLB Go-Ahead Entry uses facial authentication technology to identify an enrolled fan and allow ticket holders to enter the ballpark at dedicated gates at full walking speed without stopping. Fans will capture an image of their face that will be converted into a unique alphanumeric code, known as a token, then the image will be deleted. This token is stored by MLB¡¯s facial authentication partner and will be associated with the fan¡¯s account.

After walking through the free-flow security screening technology, the system¡¯s camera will perform a real-time facial scan and convert the scan to a numerical token. It will then search for a match among all enrolled fans and identify the registered fan as they walk in. Once the user¡¯s MLB account is checked for a valid ticket, it will automatically scan all tickets under the account allowing entry into the ballpark.

Additionally, fans who elect to use Go-Ahead Entry during the Rays next homestand, from August 30 to September 5, will receive two free tickets to any remaining Rays regular season home game. Please note, regardless of party size or how many times Go-Ahead Entry is used, fans will only receive two tickets.

Once fans have registered for Go-Ahead Entry, they can use the service at any MLB ballpark that leverages the technology. Fans can also opt-out of Go-Ahead Entry at any time. For more information on MLB Go-Ahead Entry at Tropicana Field, please visit RaysBaseball.com/GoAheadEntry.