Senator Blumenthal is calling for Federal Trade Commission (FTC) action against deceptive ticketing practices that harm both consumers and independent venues. At a press event held at Hartford's Infinity Music Hall, he released an open letter demanding investigation and enforcement of the BOTS Act.

The Fix the Tix Coalition and National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) support this initiative, highlighting how predatory practices hurt local economies and entertainment venues. Despite bot usage for ticket purchases being illegal since 2016, the law has only been enforced once.

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 for immediate resale at inflated prices.

2. Deceptive Advertising through SEO: Secondary sellers manipulate search results to appear before official venues, misleading consumers into paying higher prices.

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

4. Price Gouging: Secondary sellers list tickets at excessive prices while cheaper options remain available through primary sellers.

Tyler Grill, CEO of Infinity Music Hall, emphasized how these practices damage both consumer trust and venue stability: "These tactics not only frustrate concertgoers but also undermine the trust and financial stability that venues like ours rely on to thrive."

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