House Passes TICKET Act Mandating All-In Pricing
The “all-in” ticket pricing model is progressing toward potential legal implementation in the United States, with the House of Representatives casting an overwhelmingly favorable vote on April 29. In a bipartisan effort, the House approved the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act with a vote of 409-15. This important legislation seeks to ensure ticket sellers disclose the final price of tickets, which will include all associated fees, excluding sales tax.
Having navigated through Congress for several years, the bill has gained widespread support from consumer advocacy groups, stakeholders in the live music industry, and notably, Live Nation, the leading global concert promoter and owner of Ticketmaster, which has proactively adopted “all-in” ticket pricing in recent years.
The TICKET Act summarized
The TICKET Act also introduces provisions for full refunds on tickets for canceled events, addresses misleading claims by websites purporting to be “official” ticket resellers, and mandates that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) strengthen the enforcement of the BOTS Act, a 2016 law aimed at curbing the use of automated systems for ticket purchases. Despite its good intentions, the BOTS Act has seen limited effectiveness in preventing mass ticket purchases by bots.
Moreover, the TICKET Act aims to prohibit speculative pricing, where ticket resellers sell tickets to consumers prior to acquiring them. In its place, the proposed legislation would establish a legal framework for “ticket procurement services,” allowing these platforms to charge consumers in advance to acquire tickets on their behalf, provided that they make clear they do not currently possess the tickets. This particular provision has raised some concerns among advocates for ticketing reform, who believe it may inadvertently allow speculative ticketing practices to continue.
Moving ahead after the passage
Overall, the passage of this bill in the House has onlookers viewing this as a positive sign moving forward. The Senate counterpart is also showing promise, having advanced out of committee in February with considerable bipartisan support and is scheduled for discussion in the current legislative session.
President Donald Trump has expressed openness to endorsing this type of legislation. Earlier in April, he signed an executive order intended to address ticket scalping and hidden fees in the live entertainment industry. This order directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FTC to enhance the enforcement of competition laws in this sector and instructed both Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ensure IRS compliance among ticket resellers.
John Breyault, Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League, emphasizes the act’s efficiency
“The House has once again made clear: consumers deserve transparency and fairness when buying event tickets. This legislation puts an end to hidden fees and deceptive resale practices that have cheated fans for too long. With the House having acted, the Senate must now move swiftly to pass the TICKET Act and send it to the President’s desk. With so many live events coming this summer, consumers can’t afford more delays”.
