Paciolan, a college athletics ticketing service provider, has announced that it will be able to add contactless tickets to Apple Wallet and enable fans to enter stadiums with just an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The first universities to offer the contactless ticket solution will begin with the fall 2019 football season at Baylor University, Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, University of Mississippi, Georgia Tech, and Rutgers University.

Students and fans will both be able to enter stadiums by placing their iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless reader, eliminating the need to print paper tickets. Providing NFC-enabled tickets is the next step in Paciolan’s mobile ticketing strategy to help reduce fraud at the gate and assist colleges in better understanding who attends their games.

“iPhone and Apple Watch make going to college sports games easier than ever,” says Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Internet Services. “We’ve said our goal is to replace the physical wallet and students and fans will love the convenience and security of having their tickets right on the Apple devices they carry with them every day.”

Similar to the process of adding a boarding pass to Wallet, iPhone and Apple Watch users will receive their purchased athletics tickets via text message and can then add them to Apple Wallet. Fans will also receive a push notification on their device's lock screen when they arrive at the stadium, giving them an easy prompt to access their ticket in Apple Wallet.

“Contactless ticketing with Apple Pay is a fantastic win for fans and schools alike, and Paciolan is pleased to bring it to our community,” says Keith White, Chief Technology Officer at Paciolan. “It improves security and provides game-changing data capability by increasing the known fan base and giving the ticket office key insights to drive business decisions and maximize revenue.”

Contactless ticketing leverages NFC technology and works with handheld scanners, pedestals and turnstiles. Transferring or gifting tickets to friends and family is also supported through each university's official athletics website.

Issuing contactless tickets can significantly reduce fraud risk by rendering screenshots useless and eliminating the use of printed PDF tickets with insecure barcode technology.

Paciolan also gives athletics venues access to the full custody chain of each digital ticket including cases where tickets are re-sold on the secondary market or transferred to another user. These controls help to reduce "anonymous" event attendance, giving athletic programs the ability to personalize the fan experience and more accurately communicate with attendees about future offers and games.