Urging The Department Of Commerce And Consumer Affairs, In Collaboration With The Department Of The Attorney General, To Investigate And Regulate The Sale Of Tickets To Live Entertainment Events Under Its Authority To Protect Consumers Against Unfair Or Deceptive Acts Or Practices In The Conduct Of Any Commerce.
The resolution addresses significant consumer grievances regarding the scarcity of tickets available to the general public. For example, notable concerts, such as those by Earth, Wind and Fire and Mariah Carey, have experienced exorbitant proportions of tickets being held back or sold in pre-sales. This pattern has resulted in a situation where ordinary consumers face heightened difficulty in purchasing tickets at fair prices. By calling for regulation, the resolution aims to ensure that consumers have better access to event tickets and that pricing practices are disclosed upfront.
HCR119 is a House Concurrent Resolution introduced in the Thirty-Second Legislature of Hawaii, urging the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of the Attorney General, to investigate and regulate the sale of tickets to live entertainment events. The aim of this resolution is to safeguard consumers from unfair or deceptive acts and practices in the ticket-purchasing process, which has become a source of frustration for many in the state. It recognizes the widespread issues related to transparency in ticket pricing and the limited availability of tickets due to pre-sales and holds designated for industry insiders.
A point of contention highlighted in the resolution is the impact of secondary market profiteers who capitalize on the scarcity of tickets. These individuals often utilize technology and automated systems to purchase tickets in bulk, which exacerbates the inequities in the ticket market. This practice raises concerns about fairness in commerce and consumer rights, aligning with the violations addressed in the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, which classifies such scalping techniques as deceptive. Critics of the current ticketing practices assert that unless regulatory measures are embraced, consumers will continue to be disadvantaged by profit-driven methods that diminish their chances of acquiring tickets for popular events.