Healey's 'Great Divide Act' aims to cap ticket prices

Key Points:

• Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell Healey proposed legislation to limit third-party ticket resale service charges to 10% of the ticket price, aiming to curb excessive fees on platforms like StubHub and SeatGeek.
• The bill would also ban speculative ticket sales, addressing issues where buyers purchase non-existent tickets, a problem highlighted during the FIFA World Cup at Gillette Stadium.
• The proposal, influenced by musician Noah Kahan and similar to a bill by State Senator Dylan Fernandes, faces criticism for not holding major ticket sellers like Ticketmaster and Live Nation to the same standards.
• Healey plans to include the bill in a supplemental spending package, requiring legislative approval, while industry groups argue it exempts monopolistic companies, calling for broader regulation.
• The move follows bipartisan concerns over rising ticket prices, recent antitrust lawsuits against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, and federal efforts to regulate ticket resale practices.