TicketNews.com
Despite the ongoing illegal gambling controversy involving disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy, ticket brokers are experiencing a surge in ticket sales, according to published reports and surveys of some brokerages. Last week, Donaghy pleded guilty on federal charges relating to his alleged involvement in betting on games he refereed. Donaghy will possibly face additional charges at the state level, alleging that he intentionally miscalled games.
All the brokers contacted by TicketNews reported no change in NBA ticket sales, and some even said they were experiencing an increase.
“I haven’t noticed any decline in NBA ticket sales, and I don’t see any drop in sales in the future,” said one broker based in the Maryland area. . .
The NBA has imposed a gag order prohibiting its executives from publicly discussing the case, but Mike Bass, senior vice president for NBA marketing/communications, acknowledged to the New York Post that off-season ticket sales are up. The season begins in early November.
“I can’t speak to any impact of the Donaghy case, but I can tell you that we are on pace to not only break the all-time record for attendance but the all-time record for season ticket sales as well,” Bass told the Post. “New full season tickets sold per team are up 41 percent over last year to date, and the renewal rate is far exceeding where we were last year at this time.”
