The New Mexico Legislature has been considering a bill (HB 1000) that would significantly expand restrictions on ticket resale, even as more and more of us are enjoying the convenience and choice of buying and selling tickets online.
In a letter earlier this week I reminded the New Mexico House Judiciary Chairman Al Park that today’s ticket marketplace differs dramatically from 1983 when the state’s current ticket scalping law was enacted. Going online to buy and sell tickets to entertainment and sporting events is a lot safer and more convenient than dealing with street corner scalpers.
The online ticket exchanges operated by eBay, StubHub and Yahoo prove every day that consumers can trust online transactions. These leading online services aggressively enforce safe trading policies and have proven to be ideal partners for government officials responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws.
It now looks like HB 1000 is dead for this session of the Legislature, but looking ahead to next year, rather than expand New Mexico’s antiquated ticket scalping law, I urged Chairman Park and his colleagues to repeal existing restrictions and allow a safe and convenient secondary market for event tickets to develop.