Chicago Bulls Student Pass: A Lesson in Identity Verification

Objective

The Chicago Bulls, in partnership with BMO, created a Student Pass program to offer discounted single-game tickets for their significant local student population. While the initiative had grown year over year, opportunities remained in ensuring tickets consistently reach students and streamlining operations.

Opportunity

For the 2023-2024 season, the Bulls launched their Student Pass, utilizing FEVO's email gating tools. These tools gated the Offer with a .edu domain, requiring purchasers to enter their school email address to access available inventory and purchase. Despite these positive changes, challenges persisted.

Individuals found ways to maneuver the email gate, leading to discounted tickets ending up on secondary sites at inflated prices. This added pressure on staff to spend long hours investigating suspicious purchases and fraudulent activity.

Heading into the 2024–25 season, the Bulls needed a smarter, more secure way to protect the integrity of the program while keeping it scalable.

Solution

To elevate the Student Pass program, the Bulls turned to FEVO’s partnership with ID.me, the industry-leading digital identity verification platform. The Bulls could now ensure only students verified against ID.me’s trusted database gained access. The integration was seamless: built directly into FEVO’s Social Checkout™, it required no extra workflows or manual oversight. What once felt like an operational burden became a streamlined, secure, and scalable solution.

"Working with FEVO's ID.me tool has aided our efforts to continue providing fans with a best-in-class experience – from the moment they buy a ticket to gameday itself. The capabilities have helped us create a smoother process for Bulls fans.” Adam Klene - Chicago Bulls, Vice President, Business Strategy & Analytics

The implementation of ID.me not only safeguarded the Bulls’ Student Pass but also elevated its value for fans and the organization:

• 74% decrease in chargebacks across FEVO Offers, drastically cutting fraud.
• 65% fewer invalid email entries, reducing errors and giving staff back dozens of hours each month.
• Cleaner, more student-focused marketplace, ensuring discounted tickets reach their intended audience.
• Greater trust and engagement from students, reinforcing long-term loyalty to the Bulls brand.

With fraud minimized and operations streamlined, the Bulls are now positioned to expand the reach of Student Pass and serve as a model for other organizations seeking to protect fan-first programs at scale.

"With ID.ME's verification process, we can now focus our analytical resources on strategic initiatives rather than fraud detection while having confidence that verified users are students. The reduction in brokers has resulted in an increase in personal ticket utilization and helped us maintain fair pricing for real students. FEVO's seamless integration made implementation straightforward, and the results have exceeded our expectations.” Adam Klene - Chicago Bulls, Vice President, Business Strategy & Analytics