Rep. Scott Bruun (R-West Linn) is a devoted Van Halen fan and is not ashamed to admit he is often the first online to buy tickets. However, after realizing tickets for mediocre seats were the only ones available minutes after box offices opened, he began to suspect something was up.
After some research, Bruun discovered that software programs known as “bots” were responsible for the missing tickets. Bots allow third parties to buy hundreds of tickets at rapid rates, making it impossible for average consumers to attain coveted seats at their original prices.
But if Bruun and Rep. Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) have their way, people using bots may soon be out of luck.
House Bill 2673 would ban bot software, so third-party buyers would be unable to buy large amounts of tickets at one time, only to turn around and sell them at inflated prices. The bill passed in the House 51-0 and has been moved to the Senate for consideration.
“This is not about restricting the free market ticket sales process. This is good business practice,” Gelser said. “These bots purposely circumvent the built-in safety measures on online ticket sites and artificially increase demand, and therefore the price, by creating a perceived lack in supply in a matter of minutes.”
Gelser, a mother of a young daughter, became aware of ticket bots after Miley Cyrus performed in Oregon as part of her Hannah Montana tour, and several families were unable to get tickets at affordable prices because third parties purchased tickets using bot software. As a result some tickets were marked up to astronomical prices, with some going for as much as $2,500 per seat.
By the numbers
– | 80- Total percentage of tickets purchased on Ticketmaster USA using bot software $2,500 – Price bots charged for Hannah Montana tickets after they sold out 51-0 – House of Representatives vote count for HB 2673, which illegalizes bots |
Rep. Scott Bruun said people on Web sites such as Craigslist use bots and are able to turn a hefty profit from unsuspecting citizens.
On any given day Ticketmaster USA estimates 80 percent of its tickets are bought by third parties using bots. Ticketmaster issued a statement explaining it has made substantial investments to combat bots, but its efforts have been unsuccessful.
“It is just so unfair,” Bruun said. “Consumers are unable to compete with high-tech software, and then they are the ones who get stuck paying the price.”
Billie Moser, the Hult Center public relations and marketing manager, said the Hult Center is very concerned about third-party buyers because many consumers are unaware they’re being duped.
“People don’t always realize that they are paying too much for tickets,” she said. “That is what makes this issue so important.”
University sophomore Benjamin Urman said he often has difficulty trying to find concert and sporting-event tickets for the University and is usually forced to buy tickets on Craigslist.
“It always seems like there is a shortage of tickets,” he said. “It depends on the show, but if it is sold out, Craigslist really drives up the prices.”
Yet, University sophomore Jason Blume said he recently found that tickets are less expensive and easier to find then ever before.
“I was just looking the other night, and I found NBA playoff tickets for $12,” he said.
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