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Walmart Starts Online Lottery for High-Demand Pokémon Cards

The move signals retailers shifting to random drawings to limit scalpers during a prolonged supply shortfall.

Overview

  • Walmart launched its Collectibles Drawing on August 31, offering a Prismatic Evolutions Elite Trainer Box and processing payment automatically for winners.
  • To enter customers must have a Walmart account and provide address and payment details, no charge is taken at entry, entries cannot be canceled, and drawing purchases may not be returnable.
  • Walmart says it will remove suspicious entries and use the random draw to blunt bots and resellers that have cleared online restocks in seconds.
  • The change responds to a multi‑year shortage that retailers say continues despite The Pokémon Company printing 10 billion cards between March 2025 and March 2026 and a new factory not expected until late 2028.
  • Collectors face more friction and uncertainty ahead of a high-profile 30th Anniversary release in September, which industry coverage says is likely to increase demand and prompt further retailer experiments.