Matzie reintroduces speculative ticketing bill

(The Center Square) – Legislators are taking another turn at limiting the sometimes fraudulent ticket resale market.

Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Ambridge, re-introduced a bill preventing “speculative ticketing,” which involves listing tickets for sale before they’ve been acquired by the seller. In circumstances when they never are, buyers are often left down the cost of tickets with no show to show for it.

“Consumers who pay for an item have the right to assume the seller actually has that item in hand to sell – and the same goes for tickets,” said Matzie, who noted that often buyers have also incurred travel and lodging expenses when planning to attend an event.

An earlier version of the bill passed the House with bipartisan support last year but stalled in the Senate. In addition to bipartisan support, it is a welcome change for the public, with buyers and businesses alike pulling for the legislation.

“Consumers aren’t the only ones who feel the impact. The venue loses credibility in the eyes of the public, while area restaurants, parking garages and other local businesses lose expected revenue. It’s a practice that’s bad for consumers and bad for business,” said Matzie.

The representative named Ticketmaster, LiveNation, and the attorney general among supporters.

Speculative ticketing isn’t the only issue of its kind that stalled in last year’s legislative session after passing the House. HB 1378, a bill aimed at preventing bots from buying up tickets for resale, passed the House with resounding support in a 193-10 vote only to be left on the table in the Senate.

Grinch bots, however, go beyond ticket sales and can also be used to buy up in-demand items. This can place additional strain on supply systems during shortages and times of crisis.

Matzie says that the bill is not intended to stifle the resale market. Rather, he wants to protect consumers from predatory practices.

“My bill addresses a simple question: How can you sell something you don’t have?” said Matzie when promoting the bill last year. “We would never allow these practices to happen with private resale of other consumer goods. Why should we allow them when it comes to event tickets?”