Senator Richard Blumenthal has called for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) action against deceptive ticketing practices during a press event at Hartford's Infinity Music Hall. The initiative aims to protect consumers and local venues from predatory ticket reselling tactics.

The Fix the Tix Coalition and National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) have endorsed Blumenthal's request for FTC investigation and enforcement of the BOTS Act, which has only been enforced once since 2016 despite widespread violations.

A recent study by Connecticut venues identified four major deceptive practices:

1. Ticket Hoarding and Bots: Professional resellers use automated software to purchase large quantities of tickets, preventing fans from buying at face value

2. Deceptive SEO and IP Theft: Secondary sellers manipulate search results and misuse venue/artist imagery to appear as official sellers

3. False Demand Creation: Resale platforms create artificial urgency through misleading availability information

4. Price Gouging: Secondary sellers list inflated prices while cheaper primary market tickets remain available

"These tactics not only frustrate concertgoers but also undermine the trust and financial stability that venues like ours rely on to thrive," said Tyler Grill, CEO of Infinity Music Hall, emphasizing the need for reform to protect both venues and consumers.

The initiative represents a significant step toward addressing systematic issues in the ticketing industry, with NIVA emphasizing that these predatory practices affect venues nationwide and require immediate federal attention.

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