Campus ID News
Card, mobile credential, payment and security
FEATURED
PARTNERS
phone at POS reader

Bowling Green first university to accept mobile driver’s licenses for age verification

Athletic venues expedite alcohol purchases with state-issued IDs

CampusIDNews Staff   ||   Nov 22, 2024  ||   ,

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) has become the nation’s first university to accept mobile driver’s licenses for age verification. Merchants at the university’s athletic events can now verify the age and photo of patrons purchasing alcohol via a state-issued mobile driver’s licenses.

Ohio is one of the first states to allow residents to add their driver’s license and state IDs to Apple Wallet. The cards are stored digitally and presented via the phone.

Privacy by design

Mobile driver’s licenses – often called mDLs – are designed to only release information necessary to complete a specific transaction. In the case of alcohol purchases, for example, only the photo and age are shown to the merchant. The transaction does require the user’s name, address, date of birth, or other details shown on a physical license, so that data is not released.

When a student provides a physical license to verify age at a bar, his or her name and address are freely available to staff. This can result in dangerous situations.

This architecture was designed to protect user privacy and increase safety.

Here is an example. When a student provides a physical license to verify age at a bar, his or her name and address are freely available to staff. This can result in dangerous situations. The mDL alleviates this risk as only the image and age are presented.

The International Standards Organization established standards for mDLs in its ISO18013-5 document. This enables all states and countries adhering the standard to be interoperable with one and other.

Because of this, students and visitors from other states that issue mobile driver’s licenses –Arizona, Maryland, Georgia, Colorado, Hawaii, California, Iowa, New York and Utah – can also use their digital IDs at BGSU events.

Using the mDL at athletic events

At the merchant location, users hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader to process the NFC transaction. The reader – provided by Credence ID – displays the specific information required for the transaction for the user’s approval. The user can opt to approve the release of the information using Face ID or Touch ID. The entire transaction occurs without the need to physically hand the phone to the merchant.

"BGSU Athletics is continuously looking for innovative ways to implement new technologies that enhance our fan experience,” says Derek van der Merwe, BGSU Director of Athletics. “We are excited to introduce this cutting-edge technology … to reduce wait times and get our fans back to the game."

The Ohio mDL can also be used at select TSA check lanes as well as businesses with compatible mobile ID readers or apps requiring identity verification.

Related Posts

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

RECENT ARTICLES

mobile ordering on phone
Apr 01, 25 /

Mobile ordering, flex, and meal swipes cut wait times in half at Berkeley

Berkeley Dining expanded its Grubhub mobile ordering to allow both flex dollars and meal swipes at four on campus dining locations. Previously, flex dollars could only be used to purchase food through the Grubhub app from off campus restaurants, but now both flex dollars and meal swipes can be used for pickup at campus restaurants. […]
NACCU video shoot promo
Mar 27, 25 /

Going to NACCU? Do a quick video interview and get a $50 gift card

At the CampusIDNews booth (#113) in the NACCU exhibit hall, the CampusIDNews team is shooting short (5-8 minute) video interviews with campus leaders and exhibitors profiling things happening, shaping, or confronting their programs and our industry. I would like to invite you to participate and share your insights with other NACCU members and higher ed […]
Allegion Atrium partnership
Mar 26, 25 / ,

Allegion and Atrium announce strategic alliance for higher ed market

Allegion and Atrium announced a strategic alliance, whereby the “two companies are establishing a formal partnership to revolutionize access control, credentialing, and campus one card solutions,” says the Allegion press release. The release is short on details, but it likely signals bigger news to come. We are excited to partner with Allegion with an initial […]
CIDN logo reversed
The only publication dedicated to the use of campus cards, mobile credentials, identity and security technology in the education market. CampusIDNews – formerly CR80News – has served more than 6,500 subscribers for more than two decades.
Twitter

Attn: friends in the biometrics space. Nominations close Friday for the annual Women in Biometrics Awards. Take five minutes to recognize a colleague or even yourself. http://WomenInBiometrics.com

Feb. 1 webinar explores how mobile ordering enhanced campus life, increased sales at UVA and Central Washington @Grubhub @CBORD

Load More...
Contact
CampusIDNews is published by AVISIAN Publishing
315 E. Georgia St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.AVISIAN.com[email protected]
Use our contact form to submit tips, corrections, or questions to our team.
©2025 CampusIDNews. All rights reserved.