Bill Banning Hidden Ticket Fees to Live Events Signed Into Law by NY Governor Kathy Hochul

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation (S.9461/A.10500) targeting unfair, anti-consumer ticketing practices in the live event industry. The bill will increase transparency for consumers purchasing tickets to live events by banning hidden fees. Additionally, the bill will expand penalties for use of scalper bots and ticket purchasing software, outlaw the sale of free tickets, and prohibit delivery fees on tickets that are delivered electronically or printed at home.

"Live entertainment has long been a critical sector in our economy, and as consumers and the industry recover from the pandemic, it is important that we make the ticket-buying experience easier and more transparent," Governor Hochul said. "This bill will expand penalties for malicious ticketing practices that have made live events inaccessible to New Yorkers for too long. Today, we are taking an important step towards ensuring that every New Yorker has a fair opportunity to enjoy the unique arts and cultural experiences that our state has to offer."

This bill extends and updates New York's "Ticketing Law" by incorporating policy recommendations from a 2020-21 legislative investigation into the state's live event ticket industry due to concerns about potentially unfair, deceptive, and anti-consumer practices occurring in the primary and secondary markets.

The bill will increase civil fines for the use of ticket purchasing software and require sellers and resellers of tickets to disclose the total cost of a ticket clearly and conspicuously. Additionally, the bill will prohibit delivery fees on tickets printed at home and ban the sale of tickets that were originally distributed for free.

State Senator James Skoufis said, "While there's still more work to be done to ensure the live event ticketing industry is fully accountable to its customer, I am proud of the work we accomplished this year to eliminate hidden fees, ensure all-in pricing, fight bots, and several other measures to inject some honesty into the ticket-buying process. The rules of the game for ticket retailers were set before the internet even existed--a fact that's become exceedingly clear as mega ticket sellers have used those rules to rip off consumers in the wake of COVID cancellations - and New York is leading the way on reforms nationwide. I thank the Governor for signing this important bill and helping to keep more money in consumers' pockets."

Assemblymember Daniel J. O'Donnell said, "New York is the epicenter of the entertainment world, and making sure artists, performers, and venues can reach fans and sell tickets is essential to their success. I am very proud of this legislation, which creates a fair playing field for all those in the industry, adds important new consumer protections, and makes sure that fans and event goers have access to tickets for all the events they want to see. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill, and all those involved in shaping this important legislation. For shows big and small, and from theater to music to sports and more, this legislation keeps live events in New York booming, and ready to step back into the spotlight."