The big concert is coming. You’re excited. Maybe your kids are excited. You go online or call to buy tickets from a secondary seller. You pay for the best seats you can get.

But then, you find out that the seller didn’t actually have those tickets. They were counting on their ability to secure them, but they didn’t. Best case, you get a refund. Worst case, you’re defrauded and lose your money. Either way, you don’t have those tickets, the one’s you thought you had. You may have already booked a hotel or made travel plans. Those deposits and fees may be gone as well.

Doesn’t sound legal, right? But it is. This is called “speculative ticketing,” a practice that allows unofficial sellers to list tickets for sale even though they do not actually possess – and may never have - those tickets.

Several organizations including the Better Business Bureau, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) have issued warnings about “speculative ticketing” and continue to sound the alarm.

“Speculative ticketing” is deceitful and simply unfair to fans and consumers. It needs to stop, and I plan to reintroduce legislation to stop it in our state. The concept is simple: If you don’t have it, you can’t sell it.

This bill passed the House last session 201-2, and multiple states have enacted speculative ticketing bans, including Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, and Nevada. Its time for Pennsylvania to follow suit. I hope you will join me.

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 446 (Feb 04, 2025): P.L.1224, No.387
Printer's No. 0446: P.L.1224, No.387