is ticket scalping legal in pennsylvania

In addition to state laws, other laws make scalping illegal in raceways and the NFL. Laws about ticket scalping vary by state, and there is no federal law that prohibits the practice. , for violations, including a change of policy that eliminated refunds for canceled events. Why shouldnt I be able to sell the tickets at face value (which doesnt include all my upfront costs, BTW), or maybe even a little more if that is what people are willing to pay. Ticket resale is a form of arbitrage that arises when the number demanded at the sale price exceeds the number supplied (that is, when event organizers charge less than the equilibrium prices for the tickets). Is Amazon actually giving you a competitive price? [36], Some US states and venues encourage a designated area for re-sellers to stand in, on, or near the premises, while other states and venues prohibit ticket resale altogether. Paul Brennan on Pixabay http://bit.ly/2FZ2cnG. Ticket scalping is permitted in some jurisdictions but not in others. However, identification of ticket holders is checked when entering and while standing in line, and most notably when progressing from the entrance queue into the studio space. Still, if the event you want to attend has been sold out, it can be tempting to look for alternative ways to buy tickets. 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. I can barely stand paying ticketmaster, so I am definitely not going to pay some stranger more than the actual artist who created the music I want to hear live! Kim Johnson is the producer for Texas Public Radios live, call-in show The Source. 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. Submit your case to start resolving your legal issue. Laws about ticket scalping vary by state, and there is no federal law that prohibits the practice. 10/14/13 6:00 am In the United States, ticket resale laws vary from state to state. Emphasis is placed on the ways. Since the tickets were authentic, buyers do not have a way of telling if a ticket had been used or not. Being able to easily sell tickets to a broker who may be willing to buy them will allow many to trade their tickets if for some reason they cannot attend the event. So if you can not afford it everyone should pay the price? Instead, states are free to enact their own state scalping laws to regulate the practice. Those who can enforce the law at races or football games include box office personnel, supervisors, venue managers, ticket agents, security agents, event promoters and seat holders. Seven states Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania require a special license to resell tickets. Secure Ticket Purchase thought they could walk away with consumers hard-earned money by surreptitiously changing their refund policy in the middle of a pandemic, said Attorney General Henry. I paid about 2000 for two season tickets, but ended up seeing most of the games for much cheaper. It was a preseason game and the Phillies organization treated it as such providing thoses fans with not as much as a token of appreciation for coming out to a meaningless preseason game. When scalpers buy large quantities of tickets, they take the risk of failing to resell all of them, losing money. U.S. corporate ticket reselling firm Ticketmaster developed a strong online presence and made several acquisitions to compete in the secondary markets. In the United Kingdom resale of football tickets is illegal under section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 unless the resale is authorized by the organizer of the match. As such, a person who has been accused of illegally scalping or reselling tickets should speak to a local criminal defense lawyer immediately. Allow tickets to be resold at a price that includes any service fees paid when the ticket was first purchased. Scalpers act to distribute tickets to those who value them the most, or, as. NYC's Indie Rock Scene Spawned A Post-9/11 Rock 'N' Roll Renaissance, The Source: Gospel Music In The Civil Rights Movement 'From Sit-Ins To Resurrection City', Planning The Future Of Micromobility In San Antonio, Vital Conversations: Raising The Bar For Educational Equity, Youth Success In San Antonio, Gary Adler, executive director and legal counsel for the. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and then sold for a price determined by the individual or company in possession of the tickets. There is a lack of symmetry in logic when it comes to the argument of creating fair, open markets as in an ideal system of capitalism, one creates a product and others are free to create a competing, similar product of their own volition (infers not stealing the design of the first creator) then that in principle is what we know as a fair and open market. There is a printed price on the window label but noone wants to pay it! Library, Bankruptcy FrameMaker, nicely said. The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General has entered into a settlement agreement, known as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC), with online ticket reseller Secure Ticket Purchase, LLC and John Urich, who sold tickets online through the website www.boxofficeticketsales.com for alleged violations of Pennsylvanias Unfair Trade Practice and Consumer Protection Law. Thats why you will likely see scalpers outside of the stadium reselling tickets but rarely on the inside. [18], Quebec put into law "Bill 25" in June 2012, making it illegal for ticket brokers to resell a ticket for more than the face value of the ticket without first obtaining permission from the ticket's original vendor. Scalping in its modern iteration, also known as bulk or automated buying, is a threat to eCommerce and ticketing websites selling sought-after products and services. Your from Fordham University, majoring in both Journalism and the Classics (Latin). "[10] Ticketmaster launched fan to fan secondary ticket reselling site TicketExchange in November 2005. Tickets sold through secondary sources may be sold for less or more than their face value depending on demand, which tends to vary as the event date approaches. Their risk is not being able to find a buyer, the buyer's risk is paying more than standard. I sold the tickets to the Dallas Game because I had no interest in seeing the Cowboys play, and I knew that there were a lot of transplants from Texas who wanted to see the game. [13] There are also independently owned online ticket re-sellers such as viagogo and SeatMarket. LegalMatch Call You Recently? BTW you could go online at the beginning of the year and buy up tickets and if that team dont make it to the finals your going to be out a lot of money. Violation of. On this blog, I provide you with golden nuggets of information about lawyers, attorneys, the law and legal theories. In such scenarios, those ticket re-sellers are actually selling forward contracts of those tickets. It is generally frowned upon and might even be considered a misdemeanor in some states to purchase tickets from a scalper; however, anti-scalping laws are generally more focused on stopping the scalper from selling tickets rather than charging people who purchased them. has been one of the largest ticket resale platforms for Pennsylvania consumers. I am glad to have brokers. Please provide a valid Zip Code or City and choose a category, Please select a city from the list and choose a category. For example, some states prohibit the scalping of tickets if a scalper is 1500 feet or closer to the entrance of a venue where a resold ticket can be used. Or would this viewed as nothing more than buying and selling to demand like stocks or collectible commodities? For most events, except for raceway events and the NFL, there are no laws making the resale of tickets illegal. KRS 518.070. An analysis of the purpose and limits of the ticket reselling law as it was first enacted. I mean seriously! Property Law, Personal Injury A question that comes to mind is whether or not scalping tickets is illegal? Ive always saw you as one that was able to find a way to get things done, and done fairly. Additional rules may limit to amount above the original price that scalpers can charge for tickets, or require scalpers to pay fees. Those who legalized it, should be ashamed of themselves. There is no guarantee your going to make money by doing that and I have resold plenty of tickets for less then I paid and nobody felt sorry for my loss so when I have a chance to make money on the tickets I usually take a loss on Im going to take it. [43], For taping of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, tickets were free. Scalpers would purchase tickets in bulk from the promoter hoping that the tickets would sell out causing an increase in demand for tickets and thus an increase in the ticket price. I figured that if they were going to be rooting against my new home team, I would make them pay. Over the past two decades, ticket scalping has become increasingly common due to the existence of the internet. Some brokers host their own websites and interact directly with customers. Pennsylvanians who purchased tickets before November 19, 2021 through www.boxofficeticketsales.com for a show that was canceled and has not yet received a monetary refund should contact the Office of Attorney Generals Bureau of Consumer Protection by filing a consumer complaint online at www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint/consumer-complaint/ or email consumers@attorneygeneral.gov on or before Monday, June 26, 2023. Another reason why scalping should be made illegal critics argue is that scalpers dont necessarily care for their clients. The reality is that law enforcement officers and police officers have a limited number of staff and resources and need to deal with a wide range of crimes (and criminals). Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell late Friday signed into law a bill that allows anyone to legally resell event tickets online. I wanted two tickets, and I knew when they went on sale. Just because scalping is a non-violent crime without a victim does not mean that scalpers do not get arrested or are ignored. Everyone has access to the tickets at the same time, scalpers and non-scalpers alike. Street scalpers offer a win-win proposal that carries the risk of lose-lose. The Keystone State joins Connecticut and New York as the most recent states to legalize ticket scalping, but requires resellers have a presence. Scalpers also run the risk of not selling all of their tickets as well. In the United States, the laws regulating ticket scalping varies from one state to another. 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. I immediately checked Stubhub - they had 172 tickets for the event, all starting at three times the face value of the ticket! The new law removes the cap and requires that the reseller guarantee a full refund if the event is cancelled or the ticket is not valid upon entry. An hour later, the event was declared sold out. Scalpers are bad actors who purchase tickets or product units using scalable methods that are not available to ordinary users. The fact that it is a business to make tickets scarce and then sell them off at outrageous prices is appalling. There are many ways that scalping can take place, such as: Lets look at scalping for various types of events and methods. But I just got a flyer in the mail about a show I had no idea about. Are there any legal ramifications to scalping. When ticket scalping laws are broken, consequences are often not enforced. It's not "fair?" When was the last time the local governments stopped bowing down to lobbyist organizations? I couldn't buy tickets to a show I didn't know about. YES. who resell their tickets, the way the NY law does? Even worse, you show up after paying double or triple the original price and find out your tickets are counterfeit. U.S. ticket resale laws vary by state. Why because there is another one like it at another dealership so you dont have to. I am sure if you just wanted to go to a regular season Penguins game during the middle of the week against a last place team you would buy the tickets for LESS than face value and never feel guilty that someone lost money so you could go. 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. @ FrameMaker- I am with you, I think that the only ones really complaining about scalpers are the sports teams who wish that they were making more money. Those in favor of the legality of ticket scalping say that going through brokers creates a safe and reliable way to get tickets. Consumers With Tickets to Canceled Shows May Be Eligible for a Refund. Licensing Office of Public Safety and Inspections Division of Occupational Licensure 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710 Boston, MA 02118 (617) 727-3200 Web sources File a complaint against a DOL licensee, Mass. Although derivatives was a practice in use mostly in the 1980s, some ticket brokers offer tickets even before the tickets are officially available for sale. Services Law, Real 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. Tickets went on sale in March. Let me know when you want to give that all up. 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. If convicted, it will appear as a misdemeanor on an offenders criminal record. Credit Aventus / What should would-be buyers know to protect themselves when purchasing tickets online or from secondary sources? In response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, most, if not all, concerts and events in Pennsylvania were canceled due to safety concerns. Ticket scalping is often considered an unfair practice by many people because this automatically excludes a lot of people from being able to attend the event/concert. If you enjoyed this article on Is Scalping Illegal, I recommend you look into the following legal terms and concepts. 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. The material provided on the Lawyer.Zone's website is for general information purposes only. NEVER. However, you have approximately 16 states where ticket resale above face-value is restricted. That way I can pick the events I want to go to w/o investing lots of money in season ticket plans. If convicted, it will appear as a misdemeanor on an offender's criminal record. Opponents of anti-scalping laws state that because tickets are sold in advance of an event, re-sale of tickets will inherently occur. In addition, your lawyer can perform legal research and help you to build a strong defensive argument for your case. The laws on ticket scalping tend to vary widely from state to state. Some countries have restricted the unauthorized resale of tickets. Lastly, to learn more about ticket scalping laws in your county, you may want to consider hiring a local criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. What should would-be buyers know to protect themselves when purchasing tickets online or from secondary sources? If you dont or cant pay the price then dont go. Law, About Since scalpers only sell to clients willing to pay a high price to get the ticket, the police may not be convinced that the victim was truly a victim of a crime. The way the scalping laws are written may also allow scalpers to circumvent the application of the law. You have many websites and platforms offering the possibility for individuals and businesses to buy tickets when the official event organizer has all their tickets sold out. The police may organize campaigns from time to time to enforce scalping laws. This does not actually get around eBay's selling rules, as they effectively state that the goods that the buyer receives are what the seller is selling, including any free bonuses. Office of Public Safety and Inspections. The artificially inflated ticket price results in an effective obstacle to many to attend an event as they could not afford it. But, what scalpers do is take the product of someone else, and either through organically existing scarcity or as a result of higher demand to serve the purpose of scalping, then position themselves in a way as part of the supply chain. Its all what people are willing to pay. The individual buyer and seller may agree, but the competitors in obtaining an originally affordable price may be the victim. [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]. Unlike Connecticut, New York, Minnesota or other states that have recently approved the resale of tickets, Pennsylvanias law is a bit trickier by requiring resellers have a presence in the state: A reseller that uses [an] Internet website shall not be required to obtain a license to resell through the Internet website if the operator of the Internet website: Has a business presence and physical street address in this Commonwealth and clearly and conspicuously posts that address on the Internet website, or has a business presence in this Commonwealth and one of the following: a registered agent, a foreign business license or a certificate of authority issued by the Department of State.. What law did I break moron? In 2011, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, declined to pass a law against touting, saying it would just drive re-sellers to websites based abroad. In New York, the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law prohibits the resale of tickets for more than $5 or 10% (whichever is greater) over the face price of the ticket. In fact, when the next generation gaming console (like the Xbox or Playstation) is scheduled to be released, they may be available only in limited quantities for preorder. In some cases, internet resellers have developed automated bots to purchase bulk quantities of newly-released items on e-commerce websites as soon as they become available. Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell late Friday signed into law a bill that allows anyone to legally resell event tickets online.

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