Existing law regulates ticket sellers, defined as a person who, for compensation, commission, or otherwise, sells admission tickets to sporting, musical, theater, or any other entertainment event. In this regard, existing law, among other things, prohibits specified ticket selling practices and imposes certain recordkeeping and disclosure requirements.
This bill would require a ticket seller, upon selling a ticket to an entertainment event, as defined, to immediately deliver a proof of purchase to a consumer, and would require a venue operator to honor that proof of purchase in lieu of the ticket if specified conditions are met. The bill would impose a
civil penalty of up to $2,500 for a violation of these requirements, as specified.
Existing law provides comprehensive regulation of ticket sellers and makes violations of those provisions a misdemeanor. Existing law defines a ticket seller as a person who, for compensation, commission, or otherwise, sells admission tickets to a sporting, musical, theater, or any other entertainment event. Existing law, among other things, prohibits specified ticket selling practices and imposes certain recordkeeping and disclosure requirements.Existing law requires a seller to provide a full refund under specified circumstances and requires that the refund be provided within 30 days of the request.This bill would, in addition, require a ticket seller to fully refund the ticket price of an event to the purchaser
within 30 days of the event if the ticket received by the purchaser is counterfeit, does not allow the purchaser to enter the ticketed event, fails to conform to the description made by the ticket seller, or was not delivered to the purchaser before the event, except as specified.Existing law exempts any ticket sales by a primary contractor, or any seller of tickets for the primary contractor under a written contract with the primary contractor, from the regulatory provisions. Existing law defines a primary contractor as the person or organization who is responsible for the event for which the tickets are being sold.This bill would, notwithstanding this exemption, make it unlawful for a primary contractor, or a seller of tickets under contract with a primary contractor, to fail to electronically deliver a ticket to a consumer within 24 hours after the consumer purchases the electronic ticket. If a consumer purchases a
ticket less than 24 hours before an event, the bill would require the primary contractor or contracted seller to deliver a consumer the electronic ticket as soon as reasonably possible after the purchase.This bill would require a primary contractor or contracted seller to clearly and conspicuously disclose on a website, at a box office, and any other method of distribution being utilized for the original sale of tickets to an event, specified information including the total number of days reserved for an event at a venue, the total number of tickets available for sale during any public sale or pre-sale, and the price of those tickets, as specified.By expanding the scope of existing crimes, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated
by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
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