S257 - 2026 Appropriations Act. (SL 2026-41)

• Establishes additional requirements for listing a ticket for sale or resale including the following:
  • Listings must clearly and conspicuously disclose the location of the seat corresponding to the ticket, including the row and section number, or if there is no assigned seat, the general admission area; and, whether it is an initial sale or resale of a ticket. If the ticket is being resold, then the following information must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed:
    • That the ticket is being resold through a secondary ticket exchange that is not the ticket issuer, if needed, and an active link and website address for the issuer must be provided.
    • If the secondary ticket exchange is also the ticket issuer, that the consumer is participating in the resale process on each page or interface.
• Prohibits a reseller or secondary ticket exchange from:
  • Selling or offering to sell speculative tickets, which is defined as a ticket not in the reseller's possession at the time of the listing, sale, or advertisement.  
  • Reselling more than one copy of the same ticket to an entertainment event.
  • Purchasing, selling, or reselling a ticket through a fan club ticket presale or fan club program unless authorized by the fan club.
• Prohibits a ticket issuer, reseller, or secondary ticket exchange from reselling a ticket before it has been made available to the public through the ticket's initial sale, unless authorized by an entertainer, venue, or event organizer.
• Prohibits a reseller, secondary ticket exchange, and operator of a ticketing link website from engaging in any of the following with regard to advertisements, promotional materials, or online content:
  • Using the name, graphic, logo, image, trademark, trade dress, or any other intellectual property of an entertainer, venue, or event organizer without prior authorization.
  • Resembling the branding of or otherwise visually implying a connection to an entertainer, venue, or event organizer, if the resemblance was intentionally designed to create the false appearance of an agent, affiliate, or other relationship with an entertainer, venue, or event organizer when no such relationship exists.
  • Stating or implying an affiliation with or endorsement by an entertainer, venue, or event organizer when no relationship or endorsement exists.
• Prohibits a person from using or creating a bot, defined as any machine, device, computer program, or computer software that can bypass security measures or access control systems on a retail ticket purchasing platform, to do any of the following:
  • Purchase tickets for any single internet ticket sale.
  • Use multiple Internet Protocol addresses, purchaser accounts, or email addresses to purchase tickets for a single internet ticket sale in excess of the purchase limit imposed by the ticket issuer or 8 tickets, whichever is less.
  • Circumvent or disable an electronic queue, waiting period, presale code, or other sales volume limitation system associated with an internet ticket sale.
  • Circumvent or disable a security measure, access control system, or any other control or measure used to facilitate authorized entry to an event.

Any violation of these provisions is an unfair trade practice, and additional monetary penalties may be imposed as follows:

• $15,000 per day that a violation has occurred and the greater of $1,000 or 5 times the total ticket price.
• For willful violations, an additional penalty of $10,000 per ticket sold or resold in violation of these provisions.

The Attorney General must ensure that consumers can report violations of these provisions on the Department of Justice website and by telephone. The Attorney General is also required to report on the number and types of enforcement actions taken pursuant to these provisions to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety by August 1 of each year. This report must also be available on the Department of Justice website.

This section becomes effective October 1, 2026, and applies to tickets sold or resold on or after that date.