Sponsors (2)
The bill increases transparency and consumer protections in ticketing—making prices, refunds, and reseller status clearer and strengthening FTC enforcement—but does so at the cost of new compliance burdens, legal uncertainty, and potential reduced resale inventory that could raise prices or limit choices for some buyers.
All ticket buyers (online and in-person) will see a clearer, upfront total ticket price (base price + fees) and standardized pricing terms, so consumers can compare offers without surprise checkout fees.
Consumers are better protected from fraud and deception because resellers must disclose when they are resellers, platforms must separate or label ticket-obtaining services, and the FTC has stronger enforcement tools and reporting to address bot-driven or deceptive sales.
Purchasers get stronger refund and replacement rights: full refunds for cancelled events and the option for replacement tickets for short postponements (≤6 months), plus clearer pre-sale disclosure of refund/guarantee policies.
Ticket sellers, resale platforms, and small secondary marketplaces will face substantial new compliance costs to change displays, disclosures, and operations, and those costs are likely to be passed on to consumers through higher prices or fees.
Some resale listings and inventory may disappear or be restricted (platforms requiring possession before listing or limiting risky listings), reducing consumer choice and potentially raising prices and making tickets harder to obtain.
Key terms remain ambiguous (e.g., 'total price,' 'fees,' 'optional product or service,' and the 'reasonable control' exclusion), which could produce disputes, enforcement uncertainty, and litigation that delays refunds or confuses sellers and buyers until clarified by rulemaking or courts.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Requires ticket sellers and resale platforms to display the total ticket price, itemize fees, disclose resale status, limit sales to tickets in possession, and require refunds or replacements for canceled/postponed events.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Eric Stephen Schmitt · Last progress January 28, 2025
Requires ticket sellers and resale platforms to show the full ticket price up front, list each fee separately, and disclose when a sale is a resale or not officially affiliated with a venue, team, or artist. It also bans selling or advertising tickets unless the seller actually possesses them (with a narrow allowance for selling a separate ticket-finding service that is clearly labeled), and requires refunds or replacement tickets when events are canceled or postponed (with limited exceptions for events beyond the seller’s control). The Federal Trade Commission will enforce these rules and must report to Congress about prior enforcement of ticketing laws.