(a)(1) No person shall employ an entertainment event ticketing sales system that fails to give the purchaser an option to purchase tickets that the purchaser may transfer to any party, at any price and at any time, without additional fees and without the consent of the person employing such ticketing system. For purposes of this section, “entertainment event” includes, but is not limited to, a sporting event, a concert or a theatrical or operatic performance, but does not include a movie.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1) of this subsection, a person employing such a ticketing sales system may employ a paperless ticketing system that does not allow for independent transferability of tickets, provided the purchaser of such tickets is offered the option, at the time of initial sale, to purchase the same tickets in another form that is transferrable, independent of such a ticketing sales system, including, but not limited to, paper tickets or e-tickets and without additional fees, regardless of the form or transferability of such tickets.

(b) No person shall deny admission to an entertainment event to a ticket holder who possesses a resold ticket to such entertainment event based solely on the grounds that such ticket has been resold.

(c) A person employing an entertainment event ticketing sales system shall provide written secondary market disclosure information to potential ticket purchasers, if applicable.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to: (1) Tickets sold or offered for sale to students of a public institution of higher education for entertainment events held by or on behalf of such institution, or (2) concert or theater venues with seating capacities of not more than three thousand five hundred persons, provided a duly authorized representative of such concert theater or venue has provided written notice to the Commissioner of Consumer Protection of such theater or venue’s intent not to comply with the provisions of this section.

(e) A violation of any provision of this section shall constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice in the conduct of trade or commerce pursuant to subsection (a) of section 42-110b.

(P.A. 17-28, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 17-28 effective January 1, 2018.