Once again, ticketing policy takes center stage in Washington, DC. Last week, President Trump signed an Executive Order “to protect fans from exploitative ticket scalping and bring commonsense reforms to America’s live entertainment ticketing industry.” Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee marked up the TICKET Act (H.R. 1402), a bipartisan, fan-first bill that could forever change how we buy tickets online. The bill passed the committee by voice vote. The only ‘no’ vote was by Congresswoman Clarke and it was not based on the substance of the bill but in protest of broader political dynamics.

Maine sports fans know a thing or two about loyalty. Whether it’s packing Hadlock Field to cheer on the Portland Sea Dogs, braving the cold for a Maine Mariners game, or heading down to Gillette Stadium to watch the Patriots, Mainers show up. 

“Sports Fans Coalition applauds President Trump’s Executive Order on ticketing. We have long called for public policies that promote competition and consumer choice in live events and actions against entrenched monopolies that harm the fan experience. We support BOTS Act enforcement and an end to unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive business practices by both primary and secondary ticketing companies. 

We look forward to working with the FTC and DOJ to protect fans. However, Congress must still act. The TICKET Act directly responds to the President’s Executive Order by requiring all-in pricing, banning speculative ticketing, prohibiting deceptive websites, and improving enforcement of the BOTS Act. This order and the TICKET Act will, in the words of Kid Rock, ‘Make America Fun Again.’”

Public advocates are gathering in Salem this week to debate new live event ticketing legislation designed to improve the experience for fans. The bill, H.B. 3167, seeks to improve transparency, protect consumers from monopolies, and crack down on scammers. The ticketing market has been a hassle for too long. This bill will help fix it. 

Sports Fans Coalition looked at data provided by Automatiq, a leading data provider for ticketing companies; SFC was able to see a significant snapshot of the industry with some very interesting data. The data includes 43,707,045tickets sold from 2017 through 2024 for Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Since 2017, fans have saved more than $475 million.

Today, Sports Fans Coalition testified in Arizona and Washington State (virtual) on two different immediate ticket delivery bills, AZ HB 2748 and WA SB 5676. Director of Public Policy Brian Young flew to Phoenix and represented the fans in support of the Fair Ticketing Act, while Executive Director Brian Hess remained in DC but testified virtually in Olympia. 

Across the country, states are rolling back outdated and anti-consumer laws that unfairly penalize individuals for engaging in common-sense economic activity. From outdated blue laws to rigid licensing requirements, governments are modernizing regulations to better reflect today’s realities—except, it seems, in New Mexico, where ticket resale remains criminalized (and punishable by up to a year in jail) in a way that disproportionately harms students.

Fans have called out for the TICKET Act for many years. Today Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Senators Schmitt and Markey answered that call and advanced commonsense consumer protections in ticketing that will help sports fans buy tickets to their favorite games and protect them from deceptive sales. We thank them for their tireless leadership on this issue, and urge the Senate to pass the bill quickly.