'Bot-Busting' Bills Bullseye Bulk Ticket Scalpers

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/03/2025) Using automated software programs, known as bots, to interfere with "fair access" to concert tickets sold online could soon lead to a $5,000 civil fine in Michigan, under legislation by Sens. Mary Cavanagh (D-Redford Twp.) and John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs).

The fine could be worth up to $5,000 per ticket acquired in the violation, according to Senate Democrats' press release.

Similar penalties passed in the House last summer but were not taken up by the Senate. The previous efforts were dubbed the "Taylor Swift" bills, referencing how, in November 2022, Ticketmaster said in a release that "the staggering number of bot attacks" disrupted the pre-sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.

Imperva Inc. – the cybersecurity company headquartered in California – published that, despite laws, more than 40 percent of online ticket booking is done by automated software in most markets. It identifies bots as automated software purchasing tickets in bulk, intending to resell them later.

Between 2024 and 2029, the secondary tickets market is projected to increase globally by $89.7 billion, or by 23.1 percent for its compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

"Whether it be a Lions game with your dad, seeing Taylor Swift with your friendship bracelet crew, or just a concert on the lawn of Pine Knob, live events should be a time of enjoyment, not an opportunity for bot-scammers to exploit consumers and shut people out," Cavanagh said in a March 13 press release. "Resellers are manipulating the system by superseding website security, buying tickets in bulk, and reselling them at prices that make it nearly impossible for most Michiganders."

Cavanagh described her and Damoose's SB 158 and SB 159 as "bot-busting legislation."

The bills were referred to the Senate Finance, Insurance and Consumer Protection Committee, which Cavanagh chairs.

Under the legislation, the Attorney General could bring action against parties who disable digital ticket purchasing limits, pre-sale codes or other sale volume regulations online.

Republican interest in the legislation is anticipated, especially after President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to "rigorously enforce" the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.

The BOTS Act was signed by President Barack Obama in December 2016, setting a $16,000 federal fine for using bot technology to purchase tickets for resale. The Trump White House reported that despite eight years of it being on the books, the FTC "has only once taken action to enforce" the act.

Trump's office relayed coverage that fans paid as much as 70 times the face value of a ticket price in the resale market. Under the executive order, the President calls for the FTC to ensure price transparency "at all stages of the ticket-purchase process," as well as to take enforcement action preventing "unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive conduct" in the secondary market.

Alongside Trump in the Oval Office as he signed the executive order was Robert Ritchie, the Michigan-native musician known by his stage-name Kid Rock.