Gov. Walz signs bill into law to protect ticket buyers from hidden fees, fraud
Gov. Walz signed the ticket buyers protections bill into law at the legendary music venue First Avenue in Minneapolis on May 7, 2024. He was joined by Lt. Gov. Flanagan, First Avenue CEO Dayna Frank, representatives from Minnesota’s independent venues, and the bill authors, Senator Matt Klein and Representative Kelly Moller. (Office of Gov. Walz)
On Tuesday morning, Governor Tim Walz signed a bill into law that adds more protections and transparency for people buying tickets to concerts, sports and cultural events.
The bill includes reforms related to ticket sales, resale, advertisements and hidden ticket fees.
The new law also targets resellers who sell tickets at much higher prices than their original value and those who sell fraudulent tickets.
“Whether Minnesotans are selling out Target Center to cheer the Timberwolves on in the playoffs or catching a concert or a play downtown, they’re paying too many hidden fees while competing against exploitative third parties,” Walz said. “This law will change that. We are protecting consumers and ensuring that Minnesotans can purchase tickets for their favorite events without having to empty their pockets.”
The new law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, forces online ticket sellers to provide the full price of the ticket, including all fees, surcharges and service charges, upfront to buyers instead of late in the online purchasing process.
The language in the newly signed law specifically states that “[t]he price of a ticket must not increase with respect to a particular person after the ticket is first displayed to the person.”
Some other protections include:
- Clear disclosures on ticketing websites and resale sites related to ticket price markups, concert changes or cancellations, a refund policy and requiring proof of purchase within 24 hours.
- Prohibiting resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket.
- Prohibiting resellers from hiring people to stand in line to purchase tickets for resale.
- Allowing a purchaser harmed by a seller or reseller violations to sue.
You can read the full bill HERE.