President Obama signs anti-touting law making it illegal to buy tickets using bots
A month before he exits The White House, President Barack Obama has signed a new act into law that makes it illegal to buy event tickets Stateside using bots.
Titled the Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016 (or BOTS for short), the act makes it a federal offence for touts to snap up tickets in vast numbers using scalping software.
According to a press release from The White House, the BOTS bill will "prohibit the circumvention of control measures used by Internet ticket sellers to ensure equitable consumer access to tickets for certain events."
It’s hoped that it will now be much easier for music, theatre, comedy and sports fans to buy tickets at face value when they go on sale.
A long-running issue across the globe, unscrupulous touts often use bots to unfairly buy the best seats and sometimes sell them on for ridiculously inflated prices.
Republican Kansas Senator Jerry Moran sponsored the bill, which he says will “level the playing field” for customers.
As well as making the practise of buying tickets via bots illegal, it’s also against the law to sell the tickets using such technologies "if the seller participated in, had the ability to control, or should have known about the violation."
Praising the law, Ticketmaster US said in a statement: "On behalf of artists, venues, teams, and especially fans, Ticketmaster is pleased that the BOTS Act is now a federal law.
“Ticketmaster worked closely with legislators to develop the BOTS Act and we believe its passage is a critical step in raising awareness and regulating the unauthorized use of Bots."
In October, Conservative MP Nigel Adams tabled an amendment to the digital economy to criminalise using Bots in the UK.
Inspired to amend the bill after he missed out on Green Day tickets, Mr Adams suggested that the offence should carry a 51-week prison sentence and/or a fine of up to £5,000.
“It’s not a silver bullet but it will go a long way and act as some deterrent,” he said. “If there’s no punishment for this sort of rip-off behaviour it will continue to happen.
“I believe in the free market but I don’t believe in a crooked market. When that happens politicians need to act, irrespective of political dogma.”
During Prime Minister’s questions, Theresa May told Adams the government “will be looking at the recommendations very carefully to see what can be done to address the very issue that he talks about”.