For many major sporting events, counterfeit tickets are auctioned off in the months leading up to the event. Buying tickets from a scalper is riskier and more expensive than purchasing them from an authorized vendor. Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell late Friday signed into law a bill that allows anyone to legally resell event tickets online. The prices are ridiculous. I do the same thing with my Red Sox season tickets. There are no federal laws prohibiting scalping in the United States. Generally speaking, however, states that do consider ticket scalping to be illegal will issue fines for up to $1,000 and/or a jail sentence for no longer than one year if the scalper is a first-time offender. Some brokers host their own websites and interact directly with customers. Credit Aventus / What should would-be buyers know to protect themselves when purchasing tickets online or from secondary sources? If scalping were illegal, then I would have never been able to afford such great seats. The bill also requires the reseller to issue a refund if the ticket is incorrectly described at the point of purchase. I sell cars. I have Penguin season tickets and a guy who sat in my row last season had his tickets revoked for this season because he sold too many games on the internet. 19891 Ticket Scalping scalping,9 while others restrict or define the maximum resale profit. Ticket resale is common in both sporting and musical events. Scalping tickets is the practice of mass buying and reselling of tickets by an individual who is not associated with the organization that is sponsoring the event. Here is the website to the bill: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2007&sessInd=0&billBody=S&billTyp=B&billNbr=0086&pn=1250. Ticket resale (also known as ticket scalping or ticket touting) is the act of reselling tickets for admission to events. Prior to joining LegalMatch, Jaclyn was a paralegal and freelance writer. your case, What to Do to Have a Strong Misdemeanor Defense Case, What Would Be Considered Disorderly Conduct? You can also face criminal consequences if you are a scalper who resells fraudulent tickets as well. Glastonbury Festival, which sold out 137,500 tickets within less than two hours in 2007,[42] introduced a system in the same year whereby tickets included photographic ID of the original buyer, to enforce non-exchangeability. They make a business out of getting customers hard-to-find and previously sold-out tickets that are no longer available through the official box office. [19], In Ontario, re-selling the tickets above face value is prohibited by the Ticket Speculation Act and is punishable by a fine of $5,000 for an individual (including those buying the tickets above face) or $50,000 for a corporation.[20]. It prohibits price increases of more than 10%. Tickets are limited, so snatching up tickets in essence limiting availability to others is criminal. Thanks Ren dumb you know what I have been to at least one Pens game since Mario got stopped by Bill Ranford on a penalty shot in 1992. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and then sold for a price determined by the individual or company in possession of the tickets. ", "The Concert Ticket Industry Is Still Broken", "Scalper-Bots Shake Down Desperate PS5, Xbox Series X Shoppers", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ticket_resale&oldid=1147324800, Enable official ticket sellers to authenticate tickets that are being resold, Permit tickets to be resold above face value in circumstances where tickets are authenticated or have a money-back guarantee. Currently, there are no federal laws that prohibit the scalping or resale of tickets. If you did that and just sold off the other tickets at face value to friend ( or actually use them) you would have gotten them for face value. This page was last edited on 30 March 2023, at 06:19. Events that commonly attract ticket scalpers include the following and more: If there is an extreme shortage of tickets for an event that is in high demand, scalpers may go even further than simply buying and reselling authentic tickets. The new law became effective immediately. People who attend concerts or sporting events are usually emotionally invested in that event, and resellers take advantage of those feelings. Scalping of game consoles is not illegal in the United States. These laws vary from state to state, and the majority of US states do not have laws in place to limit the value placed on the resale amount of event tickets or where and how these tickets should be sold. Those who want to make the practice illegal argue that the system favors the wealthy and prompts scalpers to buy large quantities of tickets strictly for resale. Prior to Rendell, a Democrat, signing the bill, the State Senate unanimously approved the measure, which had been sponsored by Republican State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson. Instead, only individual municipalities in both states may impose local rules against ticket scalping. Use some foresight! Ticket scalping is the practice of purchasing event tickets and then reselling them at a higher price, usually for a profit. Attorney General Spokeswoman Barbara Petito said a lawsuit against the Ohio-based ticket scalping business Front Row Tickets Inc. claims the business illegally sold thousands of tickets for Pennsylvania events at $45 to $100 more than their face values. It is unlawful in several states, such as New York and California, to resell tickets for more than face value without a license. Resale laws, policies, and practices are generally decided, practiced and governed at the local or even venue level in the US and such laws and or interpretations are not currently generalized at a national level. Laws about ticket scalping vary by state, and there is no federal law that prohibits the practice. HARRISBURG Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement has been reached holding accountable the ticket reseller website, www.boxofficeticketsales.com, for violations, including a change of policy that eliminated refunds for canceled events. The penalty to violating the law includes fines of $1,000 to $2,000 for the first offense, and as much as $200,000 for repeated violations. I wonder if this law limits the actions teams can take against season ticket holders, etc. The advent of presales has allowed more individuals to participate in reselling tickets outside of a brokers office. @ FrameMaker- I disagree with you. Mailing Address: Thats why you have to pay more for tickets to big events. Even with scalping laws that may prohibit ticket resale, many scalpers are able to buy and sell tickets without suffering any real legal consequences. After all our society is all about money if you dont have it you dont go. In speaking in favor of the bill before the Senate, Republican State Sen. Ted Erickson said the move was long overdue. So to determine if scalping is legal or not, youll need to look at state laws or laws at the municipality or county level. Generally, the majority of trading on ticket brokering websites concerns itself with tickets to live entertainment events whereby the primary officially licensed seller's supply has been exhausted and the event has been declared "sold-out". Most of us are unable to shell out large amounts of cash for these ticket packages, and are pretty much left out in the cold. As such, they may act like private citizens looking for tickets and try to find scalpers dealing in large volumes or those who are taking advantage of the public by buying tickets and artificially raising prices for their benefit. Its all what people are willing to pay. Customers have argued that this generates an unfair advantage for the scalpers, adding to an already controversial practice, and many sites have begun implementing anti-bot measures to combat such tactics. Outlawing scalping is like telling people that they can't buy collectibles to resell, or sell the hottest Christmas toys to the highest bidder. Other brokers partner with online ticket exchanges. [28], Ticket resale by scalpers above face value is legal in Sweden regardless of limitations imposed by event organizers.[29][30]. Why should a consumer walk into my dealership and ask for a discount. An analysis of the purpose and limits of the ticket reselling law as it was first enacted. If I wanted to rip people off I would go online at the beginning of the season and buy up tickets I wasnt going to use and sell them for the market value. However, some of us have morals. But with a projected $15.2 . I just think that the sports leagues and states should just let people do what they want with services that they have paid for. Secure previously guaranteed ticket buyers a full and immediate monetary refund for a canceled event. I have a question out of curiosity that hopefully someone could help me answer. StubHub has been around a few years now already. @anon143266: It's actually not fair. Why is scalping tickets illegal and whats crucial for you to know? if you really want the fair price, how about buy the tickets before that night? Nefarious players in the ticket-buying game take advantage of the increased demand for popular events to swindle buyers, often through price gouging or selling fake or nonexistent tickets. The new addition to the penal code enabled police to fight the ticket scalping of sports and music events (especially those scalpers that bought massive numbers of tickets for the sole purpose of resale), which were causing much distress to the public and enabled scalpers to evade paying taxes, but since no law strictly outlawed the practice, could not be legally fought prior to the new law. Seems perfectly fair to me. Why shouldnt I be able to recoup my cost of a ticket? Services Law, Real I thought I'd share the rules with you, considering scalping without a license IS a crime. Its surely not becasue the many concert going fans want it available. The New York Times reported that this could help the agency determine demand for a given event and more effectively compete with ticket re-sellers.[41]. [37], Another issue in the US is that since ticketing laws vary by state, many ticket re-sellers use a loophole and sell their tickets outside of the state of an event.[38]. In addition, your lawyer can perform legal research and help you to build a strong defensive argument for your case. Additional rules may limit to amount above the original price that scalpers can charge for tickets, or require scalpers to pay fees. He did what others would not do. A person may also buy a ticket and no longer need them. Those in favor of scalping argue that ticket brokers can help create a market for the ticket allowing people to more easily buy and sell their tickets. Critics of the industry compare the resale of tickets online to ticket touting, scalping or a variety of other terms for the unofficial sale of tickets directly outside the venue of an event. They are different from scalpers since they offer a consumer-facing storefront to return to if there is any problem with their transaction. Did Well, for one, other than just purchasing the inventory for resale, it's modified, branded, and becomes a product of the seller. What fraudsters will do is deploy thousands of bots from untraceable IP addresses in a brute force attack as soon as a venue or ticket seller first makes them available for sale. [citation needed], Some ticket sellers allow buyers to provide personal information in exchange for being allowed to buy tickets earlier. On the other hand, if a scalper is a repeat offender or has a significant rap sheet, then they could receive fines that are greater than $1,000 and a prison sentence for one year or longer.