The attorney general of New York's war on unscrupulous ticket brokers who use bots to unfairly purchase tickets for popular concerts and sporting events and then resell them at inflated prices will continue in earnest. The office announced that a recently-announced settlement with six ticket brokers found to be operating illegally is only the beginning.
Most everyone has had the experience of sitting by their computer waiting for tickets for their favorite artist in concert or a sporting event with their favorite team to go on sale, only to find that the event is sold out within minutes, or only nosebleed seats are available.
One of the main reasons that situation occurs is the use of bots, which are automated computer programs that brokers use to purchase the tickets and then immediately list them for sale at inflated prices.
A movement to enact a federal law criminalizing the use of bots has been gaining momentum, but New York State law already deems them illegal. Attorney General of New York Eric T. Schneiderman just announced a large settlement with six ticket brokers from five separate states who were found to be operating without licenses. Five of those six brokers used bots to procure the tickets.
The brokers, New Jersey's TicketToad.com, California's Flying Falco Entertainment (operating as Avery Tickets), Florida's Charm City Entertainment, Utah's All Events and New York's Just in Time Tickets and A2Z Tix, settled for a total of $2.76 million, and also agreed to stop using bots in the future.
To demonstrate the nature of the abuse, it was revealed that, through the use of bots, one of the brokers was able to procure 520 tickets to a 2013 Beyoncé concert within just three minutes, while another reseller purchased 522 tickets to a One Direction concert in only five minutes.
Attorney General Schniederman says this is just the start of New York's war on illegal ticket sales, which his office considers an epidemic.
"New Yorkers deserve a fairer ticket marketplace," he said. "Our office will continue to enforce New York's ticket laws by investigating ticket brokers who are breaking our laws, and making them pay for their illegal acts."
