Pokémon Trading Card Game stock problems are nearing two years of disruption. The shortage began with November 2024’s Surging Sparks release and has continued to affect sought-after products, leaving retailers to experiment with ways to limit scalping while The Pokémon Company International continues to promise that improvements are coming.
Walmart is now trying a different approach: an online lottery, or “drawing”, for selected high-demand Pokémon TCG products. The move is another notable development in the wider gaming retail news cycle, where demand, limited stock and resale activity continue to collide.
Lottery-based purchases are familiar in Japan, where retailers including Amazon Japan and official Pokémon Centers have used them for popular card releases. In the United States, however, the system is much less common. Walmart’s new process allows customers to enter for specific online product drops rather than racing to complete checkout when stock appears.
As by Polygon reports, Walmart describes the system as a way to give customers “a chance to buy select high-demand items”. The retailer is adding a lottery system so entries can be submitted before the allocation is decided.
How Walmart’s Pokémon card drawing works
Customers need a Walmart account to enter. No payment is taken when an entry is submitted, and the process is designed to replace the familiar scramble in which bots and resellers can purchase stock before ordinary shoppers have loaded the product page.
“Instead of relying on checkout speed,” Walmart says, eligible entries are randomly selected after the entry period closes.
Successful applicants are automatically charged, with Walmart then processing their orders. The retailer’s FAQ indicates that unsuccessful entrants may not receive an email confirming that they missed out, leaving customers to check the outcome themselves.
There are also firm limits on changing an application. Once a customer enters a drawing, the entry cannot be cancelled or amended before the draw takes place. Returns are not guaranteed either: Walmart says drawing purchases are subject to its Return Policy and that products bought through a drawing may not be returnable.
A fairer option, but not a complete answer
The lottery approach is still frustrating, but it avoids making checkout speed the deciding factor. Walmart also says it will remove suspicious-looking applications before selecting winners, an attempt to reduce automated entries and other forms of resale activity.
Other retailers have taken less consumer-friendly paths. GameStop and Target have been criticised for selling some Pokémon products at inflated prices rather than simply limiting access. At some Targets, staff have opened sealed card products at the point of sale to make them harder for scalpers to resell. That can restrict the resale market, but it also disappoints collectors who specifically want unopened boxes.
Lotteries do not create more cards or solve the underlying supply problem. They do, however, give genuine shoppers and scalpers a more equal starting point than a restock decided in seconds. The pressure is likely to increase again with the first release of the Pokémon TCG’s 30th Anniversary set scheduled for next month, in September 2026.
For readers following the broader hobby and entertainment market, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide offers a useful reminder that collecting and gaming purchases are best approached with clear expectations around availability, demand and resale value. Those comparing dedicated hardware can also browse the available arcade machines.
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