TicketMaster, StubHub enlisted in ticket reseller crackdown

New York’s influential attorney general is asking websites like StubHub and Ticketmaster to do more to combat illegal ticket reselling practices.

His office requested in letters released Tuesday that the websites encourage brokers to disclose pricing information and confirm brokers who resell large numbers of tickets through their platforms are properly licensed. It also wants the services to identify resellers who regularly list “speculative” tickets for seats the broker does not possess or has no right to sell.

{mosads}“The [attorney general] would like Ticketmaster to join this effort to help bring ticket resellers into compliance with New York laws and put an end to ticket resale platforms’ unwarranted tolerance of these unlawful sales activities,” said a state official in a letter to the company. Other letters were also sent to StubHub, Vivid Seats and TicketNetwork.

“Ticket resale platforms are uniquely positioned to help address these issues by facilitating legally compliant sales on their platforms.”

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) has been pursuing ticket brokers for months, who he says deny the average citizen the ability to pay a fair price for in-demand tickets.

“Ticketing is a fixed game,” Schneiderman said in a statement on Tuesday. “Unscrupulous players in the industry use tactics that prevent New Yorkers from getting tickets at affordable prices, or even getting them at all.”

“Ticketmaster continues to be committed to the overall ticket buying process and welcomes additional efforts to help ensure tickets get into the hands of fans,” the company said in a statement. “We applaud the ongoing efforts of the Attorney General’s office to root out abusers.”

New York state officials late last month settled with several brokers that had violated licensing laws and, in some cases, used computer programs to buy large numbers of tickets to later be resold. The latter issue, the use of so-called bots, is also the subject of federal legislation in Washington.

The bill would allow the Federal Trade Commission to pursue brokers who use the software and allow the public to seek civil damages in cases involving bots.

—Updated at 5:41 p.m.