New York has criminalised the use of bots by scalpers under new laws targeting both touts and reselling sites that profit from the use of ticket purchasing software.
Under new laws signed yesterday (Monday) by the state’s Governor Andrew Cuomo, each offence could now lead to a custodial sentence of one year or fine of up to $1,500 (£1,200/€1,400).
The legislation was among 133 bills Cuomo had to act on by midnight, a 10-day bill consideration exercise that included a host of minor to medium changes in state law.
While the use of bots in ticket purchases was already illegal in the state, the small, minor civil penalties that could be imposed were not considered a deterrent to the booming resale sector.
Cuomo said: “It’s predatory, it’s wrong and, with this legislation, we are taking an important step towards restoring fairness and equity back to this multi-billion dollar industry.”
The law expands the definition of what are considered illegal bots to also include software that side-steps a ticket site’s security measures intended to halt bulk purchases.
A person who either obtains the tickets with bots, or has a financial interest in such an operation, faces misdemeanour-level criminal sanctions unless the software was used to obtain tickets “for their own use, or the use of their invitees, employees or agents”.
Senator Andrew Lanza, a sponsor of the bill, said: “This will help stop ticket price gouging and ensure that consumers have a fair chance to purchase tickets to their favourite sporting events, concerts and shows.”
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