If, for some reason, you're ever eating lunch in the Pentagon food court and you've got a big wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, you'll now be able to pick up some Pokémon cards. A Lucky Box gacha machine was recently installed right in the heart (or rather right in the stomach) of America's military headquarters. This electrical dispenser offers trainers, who also happen to be high ranking army officers, the chance to grab some Pokémon cards drawn from an unknown selection.
The news about this unusual Pokémon installation initially broke on Reddit. A user photographed the vending machine and shared a screenshot of a Threads post (which has now been taken down) uploaded by the company that set it up. The Threads screenshot proudly announces that "Lucky Box has officially arrived at the Pentagon".
404 Media and Kotaku have both reported on this story, and provided further details. Lucky Box installed their Pentagon based Pokémon card provider on Christmas Eve.
Since the vending machine uses the same mechanics as a 'gachapon' dispenser, it's not possible for users to select the cards that they want to purchase from it. If you've ever played a gacha game like Genshin Impact, or Honkai: Star Rail, you'll be familiar with this system. A card is distributed randomly from a predetermined pool. The price to take a spin is currently unknown, as is the prize pool. Alongside Pokémon cards, it is allegedly also possible to get graded football cards and sports jerseys from the machine.
Where's the most surprising place that you've picked up some Pokémon cards? Share your stories in the Wargamer Discord.
Why not have a read of our analysis of the best Pokémon cards in 2026? Or, if you're looking for more stories about Pokémon in unexpected locations, check out our piece on the Pokémon cards in airport vending machines.