Just a month after the UK government announced it will be cracking down on ticket scalping, President Barack Obama is doing his part to stop the epidemic in the States, with news that the he has signed a bill to cull scalpers into law.
As Billboard reports, Obama today signed the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, or the BOTS Act of 2016, which, as per a statement from the White House Press Secretary, will "prohibit the circumvention of control measures used by Internet ticket sellers to ensure equitable consumer access to tickets for certain events".
Ticket scalping has been prominent in Australia as of late, as many punters missed out on purchasing tickets to Adele and Jerry Seinfeld's local shows, which were then posted on resale sites for up to $4000.
The BOTS Act will make the process of purchasing large amounts of tickets and putting them back on resale sites for higher costs an illegal act.
Ticketmaster praised the news in a statement given to Billboard.
"On behalf of artists, venues, teams, and especially fans, Ticketmaster is pleased that the BOTS Act is now a federal law," the statement reads.
"Ticketmaster worked closely with legislators to develop the BOTS Act and we believe its passage is a critical step in raising awareness and regulating the unauthorized use of Bots."
The news follows Adele recently teaming up with UK’s largest fan-to-fan secure ticket trading platform, Twickets, to ensure already-purchased tickets are only sold at face value or less.
Though no such bill is yet to be introduced to Australia, the need for it is imperative.
Speaking to The Music last month, Music Glue CEO and Alliance member Mark Meharry said that unless the government steps in, the Australian entertainment industry is at risk of becoming "elite, with only the rich being able to afford to go to gigs".
"We are allowing billions syphoned out of the industry," Meharry said.
"Scalpers are not part of the creative economy and none of the money they make is going back into the creative economy."
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