This is big news for anyone who struggles to buy tickets online. Today, President Obama has signed the “Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016 which makes it illegal to use software to purchase tickets online. While New York already passed this legistlature, President Obama has made it nationwide. The idea is that it will prevent those whose end goal is to resell them at a higher price.

Under the law, it is illegal for anyone or company to use a bot or software to circumvent the rules for making a fair purchase such as buying more tickets than specified. It is also illegal to resell tickets that were purchased with the help of the bot. With this law, it makes the person(s) and those who know how the tickets were purchased liable.

This law comes much overdue with tickets for many shows and festivals selling out immediately only to be found in the masses on resale sites. According to the BOTS Act, this gives the state government power to bring civil suits on behalf of the residents in which they can seek to receive damages or other forms of compensation for the affected residents. Finally, the law gives the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) the power to participate when needed in those civil cases as well.

H/T: White House / Congress

About Grant Austin The Embarrassing Rowdy Gentlemen who befriends the worthy. I love going to shows. I love all music. I love having a good time. You can always find me at a bar or club. My drink of choice: Double Maker's Mark on the rocks. Feel free to follow me on Twitter: @ByTheWavs

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