Consumers could sell tickets for any amount through licensed agent
A key House leader is drafting legislation that would do away with the state’s antiscalping law, allowing tickets to sports events and concerts to be resold at any price as long as the seller is licensed and offers consumer protections.
Representative Michael J. Rodrigues, Democrat of Westport and House chairman of the Legislature’s Consumers Affairs and Professional Licensure Committee, said his proposal would bring Massachusetts in line with the rest of the country and a host of Northeastern states that have scrapped their ticket scalping laws in recent months. . .
“I don’t have any concern about what two consenting adults are going to pay for a Red Sox-Yankees ticket,” he said. “My concern is that the consumer is getting a valid ticket and gets a full refund if the event is canceled.”
The antiscalping law was passed in 1924 and caps resale prices at $2 above face value plus certain service and business charges. The law is rarely enforced because most in law enforcement view ticket scalping as a victimless crime. The Department of Public Safety, which licenses ticket resellers under the existing law, has never disciplined one.
Rodrigues said his proposal would allow individual consumers to resell their tickets above face value but only through entities that obtain licenses from the state. Rodrigues said licensees could include professional sports teams, ticket brokers, and even street scalpers. (Full Story)
