Massachusetts Governor Looks to Cap Ticket Resale Prices and Fees

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced new legislation designed to curb ticket scalping and eradicate price gouging in the secondary ticket market.

Why it matters:

• The “Great Divide Act” – named after the latest album by ticket affordability proponent Noah Kahan – caps concert ticket resale prices at 110 per cent of a ticket’s original face value.

• It limits the fees on resale sites such as StubHub and SeatGeek to no more than 10 per cent of the total ticket price.

• Speculative selling, whereby brokers offer tickets they don’t possess, will also be prohibited.

• The Act implements additional consumer protections measures, such as prohibiting the use of deceptive websites by ticket resellers and misleading consumers about the availability of tickets.

Next steps:

• Healey’s proposal will be included in her upcoming closeout supplemental budget.

• It will need approval from the state’s legislature to go into effect.

Growing movement:

• Healey’s announcement follows the passing of some of the country’s strictest anti-scalping ticketing legislation in Washington, D.C.

• Similar bills have been adopted in Vermont and Maine, while legislation is also pending in California and New York.

What they said:

• Governor Healey: “Far too many Massachusetts residents have experienced the pain of being excited to buy tickets to see their favorite singer or sports team, only to realize that resale prices and fees have driven up the cost to outrageous levels. Or how about when you do purchase tickets from a reseller, only to get to the venue to realize the seller never actually transfers them to you? Enough is enough. We are taking action to lower ticket resale prices so Massachusetts fans can better afford to see their favorite performer or team.”