Michigan lawmakers unite in ‘bad blood' against ticket bots in Taylor Swift inspired bills
Just as Taylor Swift brought together over 100,000 people to her two Detroit concert nights in 2023 during her Eras Tour, the often partisan-split Michigan legislature seems to have laid its armor down to ban online ticket bots from skipping lines and getting past ticket number limits, preventing fans from getting tickets to see shows.
This was the case when Eras Tour tickets went on sale in November of 2022, which fans refer to as The Great War, where glitches and online bots prevented many fans from being able to purchase a ticket for the tour off of Ticketmaster.
But even as elected officials in Michigan's Legislature clash on appropriations in the state budget in the Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House, they're coming together and have both passed bills out of committee to create an Event Online Ticket Sales Act.
The bipartisan bills, House Bills 4262 and 4263 and Senate Bills 158 and 159, would prohibit individuals from creating or utilizing a bot that can circumvent ticket purchasing limits, hop the line in online queues or otherwise defrauding the online ticket buying experience through software or bot programs.
On the House side, which cleared its bills out of committee with bipartisan support earlier this month, one of the sponsors, Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford Township) told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee that bad actors are exploiting the system and preventing people and their families from experiencing sporting events and concerts important to them.
'As a father of six, yes, I have attended a Taylor Swift concert. That was my duty as a father of four girls,' Harris said during committee. 'I believe these are meaningful safeguards that will increase transparency and ensure a much fairer purchasing process for people here in Michigan.'
The House bills cleared the committee unanimously.
On the Senate side, Wednesday, the bills cleared the Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee nearly unanimously, except for one pass by Sen. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) on Senate Bill 159, which like House Bill 4262, would place a $5,000 civil fine on each violation to the Event Online Ticket Sales Act and allow the Michigan Attorney General's Office to bring civil action against violators.
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