Bills to outlaw the use of computer bots to buy event tickets passed in the Michigan House of Representatives Tuesday.
Ticket bots gained extra attention a few years ago when scammers used them to buy large amounts of Taylor Swift tickets and resell them at high prices.
Representative Mike Harris (R-Waterford) called the practice “scalping at its finest.”
“We’re trying to do this to rein in the bad actors and still allow people to be able to get online, and purchase tickets for their favorite event, whether it’s a comedy show or a concert, and be able to actually enjoy things,” Harris said.
Using ticket bots is already illegal at the federal level. But supporters of the Michigan legislation said creating a new state law would make it easier to enforce the ban by giving the state attorney general the ability to take suspected bad actors to state court.
“It’s a huge taxpayer burden and it’s a time consuming burden to now send our AG to federal court and navigate that process, where Michigan courts tend to be faster, they tend to be more caring to things that are happening currently in this state,” Harris said.
The bills would create a $5,000 fine for each ticket bought through a bot.
Similar bills are currently waiting on a vote in the Michigan Senate.
