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New York Passes Legislation Against Scalpers Using Ticket Bots
By
Miranda Katz
Published Jun 17, 2016
Modified Jun 17, 2016
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By
Miranda Katz
Published Jun 17, 2016
Modified Jun 17, 2016
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Ticket bots are probably the reason you're spending this summer bitter you won't be able to see Beyoncé or Radiohead: they snatch up some 60% of tickets to desirable shows within minutes of them going on sale, sometimes snagging over 1,000 tickets a minute. In attempt to fight the bots, the state legislature today passed a bill that will make any use of ticket bots a class A misdemeanor crime, punishable by a year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.
New York's Arts and Cultural Affairs Law already prohibits the use of some types of ticket bot software, but enforcement of that law has until now been lax. This new bill, if signed into law by Governor Cuomo, would up the civil penalties and expand to apply to anyone who knowingly resells tickets that a bot initially purchased.
Bronx Assemblymember Marcos Crespo, who sponsored the bill in the assembly, said that "countless have lost opportunities to experience the richness of our arts and entertainment industry" because of bot-enabled ticket resellers, and that this legislation will "ensure the prices to see such talent will be within reach of all New Yorkers."
But some think this bill doesn't go quite far enough: it was reportedly stalled for some time while politicians debated whether it should be a felony or misdemeanor. Staten Island Senator Andrew Lanza's version of the bill would have made the use of ticket bots a felony, punishable by more jail time, and also would have required ticket reselling platforms like StubHub to post the price that they initially paid for the tickets, so that people could see just how much more they would be paying. But that Lin-Manuel Miranda-endorsed legislation didn't make it through the assembly.
"Unfortunately we are not fixing the market," said Brooklyn Senator Daniel Squadron, who supported Lanza's stricter bill. However, he acknowledged, "we are cracking down on a major abuse," before proceeding to quote Taylor Swift:
NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who released a damning report on ticket re-sellers earlier this year, and has since introduced legislation that would expand the existing law "to include additional types of ticket bots, prohibiting professional ticket resellers from selling or offering to sell tickets that they know have been illegally acquired using ticket bots, increasing the civil penalties for violations of the law, and making the use of ticket bots a criminal offense."
In a statement today, Schneiderman called today's bill "important," but said that "my office's investigation and report show that bots are only part of the rigged ticketing game. I look forward to working with these legislative leaders, Assemblywoman Markey, Senator Squadron and Governor Cuomo toward additional solutions that will create a more fair, transparent and affordable ticket market."
In other news, did you guys hear about those Kanye West tickets going on sale tomorrow?
Tagged
daniel squadron
eric schneiderman
ticket bots
ticket reselling
Miranda Katz
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