A week ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act and Congress passed legislation to illegalize the use of ticket bots – ‘robots’ of sorts that snap up all the good tickets for shows and sporting events – mainly used by independent ticket resellers, who then mark up the cost.
Based on what we’ve read, it’s a shady practice that is out of control, but not for long. We applaud the House and Congress and hope President Barack Obama signs it into law quickly.
Here’s why we care: Instabill offers credit card processing to quite a few event ticket resellers, here in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. The use of tickets bots is a practice we do not condone, not only because it’s illegal; it’s price gouging consumers.
Thirteen states have laws against ticket bots already on the books. If it becomes a federal law, it’s a game-changer for the ticketing merchants who use them.
How Will the Better Online Ticket Sales Act Stop Ticket Bots?
We blogged recently about how a ticket reseller used ticket bots to buy more than 15,000 tickets on U2’s most recent tour, and how it’s common with most concerts, Broadway shows and sporting events.
The BOTS Act would prevent the following:
- Ticket resellers who circumvent the security measures and the per-purchase limits of a legitimate ticket-selling website (such as Ticketmaster).
- Both the sale of, or the attempt to sell, event tickets purchased through the use of ticket bots.
- Also included in the bill was a paragraph noting that it will not be deemed illegal for ticket sellers and resellers to create or use software to identify flaws and vulnerabilities in their ticketing systems to prevent ticket bots. We think this is the next step in defending against such.
- The BOTS Act also gives the Federal Trade Commission to enforce against such abuses.
There is Another Side to Ticket Resellers, and it’s Good
Living in Greater Boston, considered a major sports and entertainment market, there are a number of ticket resellers and agents such as Ace Ticket, StubHub, Hub Ticket Brokers, etc…
Ticket resellers such as the aforementioned also serve as resources for consumers. If, for example, a Red Sox game does not sell out, consumers can log on to the websites of such to find discounted tickets – tickets that the reseller will mark down so that they don’t go unused.
Additionally, we know of a consumer who recently purchased tickets to a concert but later found he was unable to attend. He posted the tickets on a popular reseller website to try to sell them – one, so they wouldn’t go unused, and two recoup at least some of what he spent on them.
Credit Card Processing for Ticket Agencies
With one dedicated account manager for your ticket reselling business, Instabill offers safe and secure credit card processing solutions for online, MOTO or POS ticketing merchants. Get the conversation started at 1-800-318-2713 today.
