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Maryland lawmakers are considering new legislation that would help to crack down on ticket scalping in the American state.
Bill SB 539/ HB 701 proposes that ticket-sellers must provide all-in pricing, with a base price and detailed list of additional fees.
The bill also proposes a cap on resale prices compared to the tickets’ original price tag, including fees and taxes. This measure hopes to limit the practice of bulk-buying tickets and reselling them at exorbitant prices.
Sticking with rules around resale, the bill would see fees charged by ticket resale websites – such as Stubhub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats – for Maryland events limited to a maximum of 10%. Additionally, the bill is seeking to ensure that most tickets would be transferable to reduce the need for resale restrictions. It does, however, allow for exceptions such as discounted tickets for groups like students under grant-funded programmes.
The bill is also calling for a ban on speculative ticket-buying, while there would be the mandatory sharing of contact information where resellers must provide info of ticket buyers to purchasers in the event of cancellations or schedule changes.
According Capital News Service Maryland, supporter of the bill Democratic Senator Dawn Gile, said: “We really believe that, you know, entertainment tickets are not real estate, stocks, or other commodities. They should be for fans to see the show, and so this bill would get to the heart of the scalping issue by eliminating the incentive to scalp in the first place.”
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