California Law Would Ban Ticketmaster's Scalper Program

Leadership / 05.16.19

Access Staff

Toronto Star (Canada) (05/08/19) Cribb, Robert; Oved, Marco Chown

Proposed legislation in California would outlaw Ticketmaster's scalper program, which critics warned offers the same services as software bots by helping resellers buy and sell tickets in bulk at inflated prices. The TradeDesk service was found to enable scalpers to bind numerous Ticketmaster accounts together and accumulate vast volumes of seats, in apparent violation of ticket purchasing limits. California Assembly Member Bill Quirk sponsored the bill, which equates TradeDesk with bots already deemed unlawful in the state. "When Ticketmaster takes advantage of its position and lets scalpers drive up the prices people pay to attend shows—that is unacceptable," Quirk stated. "It is important we protect our consumers, and not let big companies abuse their power. It shouldn't matter if scalpers are using custom-made bots or if Ticketmaster is letting them use TradeDesk. These practices should not be allowed." Security consultant Reg Walker suggested the proposed law could be game-changing. "If primary ticket sellers actually made some real effort to control who they sell tickets to, ordinary hard-working men and women would not be being priced out of the ability to see their favorite artists or sports teams," he noted.

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