Texas Lawmakers Join Push for Ticketing Improvements

Lawmakers in Texas are considering legislation aimed at banning hidden fees and protecting consumers’ right to transfer and resell tickets to live events this session. The proposed measures—House Bill 3621, introduced by Rep. Ben Bumgarner, and Senate Bill 1820, introduced by Sen. Nathan Johnson—seek to ensure greater pricing transparency, safeguard personal property rights over purchased tickets, and uphold a free market for the sale and resale of event tickets in Texas.

According to supporters, the legislation complements the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation/Ticketmaster, which alleges monopolistic behavior by the entertainment giant. Ticketmaster is estimated to control more than 70% of the ticketing market nationwide, and is accused of actions including restricting ticket transferability to prevent competition.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of the bipartisan majority of Attorneys General across the U.S. who have joined that lawsuit.

“As a 50-year Texan whose company proudly helps fans access the tickets they want—often at a better price than the box office—none of us want to see a big California monopoly gain even more control over consumers and live events in our state,” said Steve Parry, president of Dallas-based Golden Tickets, a member of the Texas Ticket Sellers Association (TTSA) which supports the bills. “If this legislation becomes law, it will make it easier for everyone in Texas to shop for, sell, or just accept tickets from a friend. That’s how it should be.”

Key components of the proposed legislation include:

• Requiring transparent, all-in pricing so that the initial ticket price displayed includes any fees.
• Banning the ability to alter a ticket’s price once it has been placed in a consumer’s shopping cart.
• Protecting Texans’ right to freely transfer or resell purchased tickets on their own terms.
• Ensuring venues cannot deny entry simply because a ticket was purchased on a competing marketplace.
• Mandating that purchased tickets be delivered within one week of sale.

Supporters say the measures, which would apply to larger venues with seating over 200 while exempting certain nonprofit and charitable events, address issues many fans have long criticized. In particular, hidden or tacked-on fees at checkout have been a top complaint, as have restrictions that hamper a ticketholder’s ability to sell or transfer a seat they already paid for.

These measures would bring the nation’s second most populous state into the forefront of consumer ticket rights protection, which has been the subject of significant legislative efforts, often against strong headwinds fueled by the enormous lobbying apparatus commanded by Live Nation.

A recent report from Protect Ticket Rights found that Texas ticket buyers saved more than $35 million in 2023 by purchasing seats on the secondary resale market, underscoring the potential benefits of preserving consumer choice and competition. Another poll commissioned by the group indicated that nearly 80% of respondents favored new rules guaranteeing the right to transfer, resell or give away tickets without fear of invalidation by the primary seller.

TTSA says it hopes lawmakers will view such legislation as an opportunity to protect fans’ personal property rights and promote open competition. The group also applauded Sen. Judith Zaffirini for introducing Senate Bill 1622, which would further codify up-front pricing requirements and prohibit illegal software bots from scooping up large quantities of tickets before the general public can access them.

“Everything in these bills is for the sake of consumers,” Parry said. “This is about allowing Texans the flexibility to use or sell their tickets as they see fit and to see the full price when they’re shopping. It’s about transparency and fairness—both key to keeping our live events market competitive and accessible.”

Legislators are expected to debate the measures during this session, and TTSA members say they look forward to working with officials in both chambers to ensure the proposals pass. If approved, HB 3621 and SB 1820 could have a major impact on how Texans buy and sell tickets for concerts, sports and other major events, potentially transforming a system many believe has been stacked against consumers for far too long.