Scalping illegal in which states

And now there'll be more people, more tickets available and consumers will have more choices, which I think is a good thing. Opponents of the law say it will make it more difficult for the average person to obtain tickets. Victor D. Crist, R-Tampa, the lone dissenting vote in the Senate, said tickets for popular sporting events such as the Daytona or the football game between Florida and Florida State already are difficult to find.

Stargel said variations of House Combined Bill No. That it passed with little debate this time is a credit to the free-market philosophy shared by Stargel and others, lobbyists for companies -- Ticketmaster, eBay and Stubhub among them -- and provisions that satisfied most of those who previously voted against it. Under the law, for instance, it would be illegal to hoard tickets for events that have a ticket-purchase limit. It also would be illegal to resell tickets on the property of a venue such as TD Waterhouse Centre without written permission.

Florida is the only state to pass a law that makes it illegal to hoard tickets for events with purchase limits. Venues that host high-profile sporting events and concerts often place limits on how many tickets one individual can buy.

While morally reprehensible in the eyes of most, whether scalping is legal or not is down to a whole host of factors, including the state in which you want to do it. While there is no federal law against scalping, 15 states, including Arkansas, California, Delaware, Kentucky, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin all ban the practice in some form, with most labelling it as a misdemeanour that carries fines and up to 1 year in jail. However, if you take a closer look at the statutes, you will notice that the laws are actually only in very select circumstances that are easily circumvented.

Taking concert ticket scalping in Arizona as an example, the practice is only prohibited within feet of the entrance to the venue. This means that a scalper is free to set whatever price they want, provided they are feet and one inch away from the door. Groups opposed to anti-scalping regulation argue that the practice is like any other business venture in our capitalist and free-market economy, and that the market should dictate the prices at which coveted products are sold.

Many even question why anti-scalping regulations should exist in the first place. Taking ticket scalping as an example once again, it seems that some professional sporting teams in the US agree with this mindset, and, possibly seeing the potential of making even more profit, it has been reported that at least eight NFL, four MLB and one NBA teams have partnered with ticket resellers to allow season ticket holders to sell individual tickets online.

In the process, the reseller and the organization both get cuts of any profit. As with crime in general, police officers handle the offense according to severity.

Scalping is a nonviolent crime without a victim — in fact, it is a crime where both parties are agreeable to the transaction. Therefore, cops are often hesitant to get involved. In addition to state laws, other laws make scalping illegal in raceways and the NFL. Those who can enforce the law at races or football games include box office personnel, supervisors, venue managers, ticket agents, security agents, event promoters and seat holders. At other events, reselling tickets is not illegal, but it's not permitted on stadium grounds.

This is why scalping often occurs in close proximity to events, such as concerts or baseball games, but not within the grounds or stadium. Laws became even more difficult to enforce when the practice became widespread online.