Michigan Legislature Looking to Tackle Ticket Bots

MICHIGAN, June 13, 2024 ~ Thousands of Taylor Swift fans lost out on purchasing tickets for her wildly successful Eras Tour in 2023 because bots snapped up most of the available tickets. Now, Michigan lawmakers want to do something about it.

The state house is considering bills that would create a maximum five thousand dollar civil fine per ticket for people or companies who use or create ticket bots to buy tickets to Michigan entertainment events. Using bots to buy and resell tickets is illegal at the federal level, but few people are ever held accountable. Additionally, the legislation would enable the Michigan Department of the Attorney General to bring civil action to stop a person suspected of using bots for ticket purchases and recover fines. In 2020 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a law making it a misdemeanor crime to use bots to acquire tickets, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 93 days in jail.