Drew Wilson
Nearly nine in 10 Floridians say they should be able to sell or give away their event tickets wherever and however they choose.
The poll, conducted on behalf of Protect Ticket Rights, comes as lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require ticket-selling platforms to provide consumers the option of purchasing a ticket “with no limit on transferability” — meaning it can be given from one person to another or even sold on a third-party platform.
SB 1316 and HB 969 would not ban the sale of non-transferable tickets, it would just mandate that buyers be given the option to purchase a version of them without any strings attached.
The proposal is aimed at loosening major platforms’ grip on the primary and resale ticket markets. Ticketmaster, for instance, owns an estimated 80% of all tickets sold in the U.S.
The company also has its own resale marketplace and, under current law, is allowed to limit the resale of any tickets it sells to its own platform.
According to the poll, 87.4% of Floridians believe they should have the right to do what they want with tickets they have purchased and 84% say it is unfair to lock digital tickets into a single proprietary system or app.
Further, 84% say venues should not be able to deny entry by canceling or invalidating tickets purchased from a seller other than the venue’s box office or the event’s contracted ticketing company. When given a pitch similar to the bills under consideration this Session, 82% said they would support it becoming law.
“When Floridians buy tickets to see their favorite team or artist perform, they want the freedom and choice to do what they want with their purchased tickets,” said Gary Adler, Executive Director and Counsel of National Association of Ticket Brokers, which supports the Protect Ticket Rights initiative.
“They do not think it is fair for a seller to lock their tickets into a proprietary system or app, and they overwhelmingly support a new law that protects their rights.”
The Protect Tickets Rights poll was conducted Jan. 30-Feb. 17 via Google Surveys. It has a sample size of 500 Florida residents.
