MAIN Event Ticketing Act

The MAIN Event Ticketing Act would expand enforcement of the 2016 Better Online Ticket Sales Act by imposing new requirements on online ticketing platforms. If enacted, the bill would require ticket sellers to enforce purchase limits through security systems, establish comprehensive data security safeguards, and report incidents of bot circumvention to the Federal Trade Commission within 30 days. The bill would also prohibit using automated software to bypass ticket-purchasing rules or security controls.

Under this legislation, the FTC would create a public website within 180 days where consumers can report violations, and the agency would coordinate with law enforcement to combat cyberattacks on ticketing platforms. Ticket sellers could face penalties of at least $10,000 per day plus at least $1,000 per violation for non-compliance, with higher penalties for intentional violations. The FTC would be required to provide guidance to ticket sellers within one year and report back to Congress on enforcement actions.

The bill is currently under consideration in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. For consumers, this legislation would aim to make it easier to purchase event tickets at face value by reducing the ability of automated bots to buy up large quantities of tickets for resale at inflated prices.