Feb 20, 2007 10:36 am US/Central
Ticket-Scalping Ban Could Soon Be History
St. Paul (AP) ―
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The state Senate on Monday approved a bill to repeal the scalping ban, which has been on the books since 1963. (File)
CBS
Time could be running out on a sporadically enforced law against ticket scalping in Minnesota.
The state Senate on Monday approved a bill to repeal the scalping ban, which has been on the books since 1963. The measure is also advancing in the House.
Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley, said his bill simply acknowledges "a legitimate secondary market. We don't regulate secondary markets for baseball cards or art or mortgages, but we push ticket resales into a black market."
A lot of his colleagues seem to agree, judging by the 48-15 Senate vote.
Gerlach said all but a dozen states allow ticket reselling. He cited Wisconsin's vibrant ticket brokerage industry, where businesses pay taxes instead of fines.
Minnesota's current law can bring sellers 90 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines if they unload tickets at a price greater than the face value.
"It's a bill whose time has come," Gerlach said. "Ticket reselling happens between a willing seller and willing buyer, and there's no public policy reason for the state to interfere."
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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