New NYS Combats Unfair Ticket Purchasing And Reselling Practices

(November 28, 2016) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation to combat unfair and illegal ticket purchasing and reselling practices. The bill (S.8123/A.10713) creates new penalties for individuals who use computer software known as “ticket bots” to manipulate systems designed to limit the number of tickets to an event that a person can buy. These unfairly purchased tickets typically end up resold on ticket marketplace websites for substantially higher prices. Under the new legislation, individuals who resell tickets they know were obtained using ticket bots will also face new penalties.

The new legislation expands the definition of ticket purchasing software to include the wide variety of systems used to quickly amass tickets before the general public can access them. It establishes penalties not just for the use of ticket purchasing software, but also for anyone who resells tickets they know were obtained through the use of a ticket bot. The law also establishes a class A misdemeanor for using ticket bots, maintaining an interest in or control of “bots,” and reselling tickets knowingly obtained with ticket bots. Violators could face substantial fines and imprisonment.