Jan 23, 2025

The Marlins are one of the almost 150 teams using Mashgin self-check kiosks at their venuesMashgin Self-checkout system provider Mashgin has built out a presence in professional sports venues. The company, which utilizes AI and computer vision in their kiosks, is now in almost 150 sports venues that span from collegiate stadiums to the minor and major leagues. Recently, Mashgin announced a continuation of that growth in 2024, seeing 24 new venues join as clients. For context, less than two years ago, it was in approximately 40 venues. Mashgin also created a significant impact on patrons, according to a report the company shared with SBJ about the NFL fan experience. Sixteen NFL stadiums produced more than 1.4 million items sold through Mashgin kiosks during the 2024 regular season, totaling $14.6 million in sales with an average purchase price of $23 per transaction. The best part? The median transaction time was less than 15 seconds. Brandon Scott, VP/sales, sees Mashgin’s growth in sports as a testament to the industry -- with teams, leagues, venues and third parties continuing to produce game-day experiences with less friction. “We’re riding a lot of that wave,” Scott said. “We’ve done a really good job of just listening -- of getting feedback, doing integrations, making sure our solution is not on an island.” Scott pointed to the amount of time saved by NFL fans during the 2024 regular season -- a total of 6.3 million minutes, comparing Mashgin transaction time to the 13-minute average time spent by fans at food stands, cited by space utilization platform InnerSpace -- as a clear indicator of impact. The company estimates that a fan taking two concessions trips can miss 23 plays (which could mean potentially three scoring drives), which across a nine-game home slate could equate to potentially 27 missed scoring drives during a season. But real-world consequences are what really resonate with Scott. He pointed to the thoughts of a recent college administrator as a clear example. “The feedback I got from the client -- it's a big Power Four school -- wasn't revenue. The first thing they said when they began that call was, ‘The fire marshal has stopped yelling at me.’” Some key wins for Mashgin in 2024 included expansions in college venues like Texas and Auburn as well as rolling out more than 60 units at the Bears’ Soldier Field. The company has also been part of the growing innovation around LAFC’s BMO Stadium, which my SBJ colleague Bret McCormick wrote about at the end of last year regarding the all-around benefits of mobile driver’s license. For 2025, Scott says that Mashgin is hopeful to roll out some new products that will fit in “different parts of the stadium, different service styles” during the back end of the calendar year. He also wants to continue Mashgin’s international traction, saying that the company has circled around Europe and the U.K. without a direct push there yet. With a large presence already established throughout the U.S., Scott still sees opportunities for kiosk expansion in venues it's already occupying. “Seeing more of them [in use], and potentially having an entire stadium [using] Mashgin would be at the top of my wish list,” Scott said.