The ticket buying experience is one filled with anticipation, anxiety, and often times unfulfilled hope. Tickets for Coachella have been known to make headlines as they sell out in minutes, and this particular writer recalls attempting to buy tickets for ABGT 100 the second they went on sale (during a final exam mind you…long story) only to get shut out time and time again, unable to find a suitable option as the system was flooded with buyers. The process gets even worse when our future computer overlords get into the mix…that’s right, bots have been a plague on the ticketing buying process for some time now and you might now even have known it.
A favored tool for those who enjoy watching the world burn, or at least your wallet, scalpers utilize bots to buy up all the tickets they can to resell them at heinous rates. This has been a particular problem in the Big Apple, as one of North America’s premiere tour stop cities, and prompted a 3-year investigation by NY Attorney General, Eric. T. Schneiderman. The investigation has proven the overwhelming existence and effectiveness of scalp bots, and those who are caught using them face criminal charges.
“My office will continue to crack down on those who break our laws, prey on ordinary consumers, and deny New Yorkers affordable access to the concerts and sporting events they love.” – Schneiderman.
Though this will far from solve the problem, it will start the deterrence process, as charged criminals face class A misdemeanor charges; ticketing agencies also stand to face punishment if nothing is done.
Source: Engadget
