Wakefield College do it for student cards. Might be worth contacting them

But does the college card get scanned each time on entry??

I agree. Just a little worried at this moment with how easy it is for someone with know how to make fraudulent copies. That's when it gets a little more expensive. It's something I am looking at though

When you apply for bus pass' etc you need a little passport photo maybe when you buy a season ticket you bring one in and they put it on the page with all the details and put the see through sticky stuff over it so they cant swap etc

Local schools/Colleges use fingerprint recognition which is used on a daily basis for use of the library facilities and school dinners.

Really? Wow. My parents were teachers and I was shocked when they told me they had got rid of black boards and now use interactive white boards. I'd be lost if I went back I reckon!

Building sites use the same technology, great system although I seem to remember a colleague saying the hand scanners where about 5k each though im sure they could be leased.

The question is, do we have more fraud than the cost of the system?

Again, I personally don't see this as a problem. If a season ticket holder can't attend one of their games and lends their season ticket to a mate, there's a fair chance that friend could be someone who hasn't attended many games and wouldn't attend at full price. But there's a chance that if the game is good it could pull in new fans.

I guess in a way it is part of the speculate to accumulate argument. This wouldn't be the case if the season ticket was borrowed by someone who was a walk-up. That would mean a loss of money. But it could work in the clubs favour, it just depends on who receives the ticket.

I think ST's should be like the Lawgiver gun in Judge Dredd; if anyone else tries to use it other than the legal owner, it explodes and blows the fraudulent user to bits.

Failing that, there are multiple ways to prevent fraud - some of which are relatively cheap i.e photo cards that are checked by staff on entry; relatively cheap and easy and probably enough to counter the level of fraud we encounter, without costing more than the cost of the actual fraud.

Biometrics are relatively low cost these days (but they are prone to going skewiff) and despite their relative cheapness, would probably cost more to implement, install and maintain than any benefit they would bring in terms of fraud prevention.

Not on entry but you have to put credit on it and then scan it on the printers when you want to print something out, so there is some intelligence in the cards.

For a relatively low cost approach, you could just have a card with a photo, name and barcode printed on it.
You'd need a barcode reader attached to a laptop on the ST turnstiles.
At the simplest level the operator could just match the name on the card to the name stored on the computer from the barcode.
People could make a card with a photo and barcode, but the barcode wouldn't match the name on the computer.
For further fraud protection, the database could spot double use to prevent cloning.
The information from the database could also be used to track each ST holders attendance, when they come and what time.

edit. Thinking about it, the database would have to be run from one computer so that the cards couldn't be passed to someone else outside the ground, and just use another turnstile. Although that would be a bit desperate.

Glastonbury tickets have names and photo's on their tickets, you take your own pic and send it online, if the picture is accepted, it's then posted on the ticket.

Or a biometric thumb print, commonplace in many uk schools these days, operating cashless systems, signing in, library, door entry etc etc.
The systems all feed into one or more central data bases also, something else that would benefit the club.
These systems are all leasable as well as buy able and the lease price isn't hugely different.

Swipe card with photo id would prob be the best system, with either full or half height external turnstiles. Systems vary but would be supplied with personalised software. For members/ season tickets holders how many turnstiles would be required and at what locations. A typical system would cost around £165 a week depending on the installation .
Maybe the club could come to an agreement with some advertising or a box .