New York State’s plan to allow free-market ticket resale to continue for another year has hit a snag because Gov. David Paterson has yet to sign the bill.

The vote in the legislature was a resounding 133-9, which indicates the overwhelming bipartisan acceptance of allowing ticket brokers and others to continue reselling tickets for whatever the market will bear. However, politics seems to have crept into the process as the governor’s office and legislative leaders now hammer out some last-minute additions and language changes. New York’s extension of the free market expired June 1, but legislators had voted to approve the extension that day, and Paterson was expected to sign it soon after.

With Paterson’s delay, the old anti-scalping law technically is now in effect, which means tickets cannot legally be resold for more than $2 above face value. That law, however, was rarely enforced, and because the vote was virtually veto-proof, it is not expected to stay in effect for very long.

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According to published reports, among the sticking points seem to be the language surrounding a provision that would prohibit companies like Ticketmaster Entertainment from redirecting fans from its Web site to its TicketsNow broker subsidiary Web site, which sells tickets for higher prices.

Ticketmaster has been criticized for the practice, which it has vehemently denied doing, and the company settled complaints about it in New Jersey with Attorney General Anne Milgram.


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