Senator Richard Blumenthal held a press conference at Infinity Music Hall in Hartford, Connecticut, calling for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) action against deceptive ticketing practices and enforcement of the BOTS Act.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and Fix the Tix Coalition supported this initiative, highlighting how predatory ticketing practices harm local economies and live entertainment venues.

A recent study by Connecticut independent venues identified four major deceptive practices:

1. Ticket Hoarding and Bots

• Professional resellers bulk-purchase tickets and list them at inflated prices
• Use illegal botting software to acquire tickets
• Prevent fans from buying at face value

2. Deceptive SEO and IP Theft

• Secondary sellers manipulate search results to appear before official venues
• Misuse venue and artist imagery to appear legitimate
• Mislead consumers into buying overpriced tickets

3. False Demand Creation

• Platforms create artificial urgency
• Provide misleading information about ticket availability
• Pressure consumers into hasty purchases

4. Price Gouging

• List tickets at excessive markups while cheaper options exist
• Exploit consumer confusion about official sellers

Tyler Grill, CEO of Infinity Music Hall, emphasized how these practices harm both venues and consumers, stating that meaningful reform is needed to restore fairness and transparency to ticket sales.

The BOTS Act, despite being law since 2016, has only been enforced once, prompting calls for stronger enforcement and additional consumer protections nationwide.

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