14
MAIN Event Ticketing Act
9/30/2025, 11:56 PM
Summary of Bill S 196
The BOTS Act prohibits the circumvention of security measures on ticketing websites and makes it illegal to knowingly sell tickets obtained through the use of bots. Violators of the act may face civil penalties and enforcement actions by the Federal Trade Commission.
Additionally, the bill requires ticket sellers to disclose certain information to consumers, such as the total number of tickets available for an event and any restrictions on the resale of tickets. This transparency aims to empower consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing tickets online. Overall, the BOTS Act seeks to promote fairness in the online ticketing industry and protect consumers from deceptive practices. By addressing the use of bots and increasing transparency in ticket sales, the bill aims to ensure that all consumers have equal access to tickets for popular events.
Congressional Summary of S 196
Mitigating Automated Internet Networks for Event Ticketing Act or the MAIN Event Ticketing Act
This bill expands measures to protect the security and integrity of online ticket sales.
Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of applications that perform automated tasks to purchase event tickets from online ticket sellers in circumvention of the seller's posted ticket purchasing order rules. This includes using software applications that circumvent access control systems or security measures.
In addition, online ticket sellers must establish, implement, and maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the seller's website or service.
Further, online ticket sellers must report known incidents of circumvention to the Federal Trade Commission and take reasonable steps to address any such incidents.
The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of the provisions of this bill (and related prohibitions under current law) and authorizes the commission to bring civil actions for such violations.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies must coordinate as appropriate with the commission to share information about known instances of cyberattacks against the websites or online services used by ticket sellers.
The commission must report to Congress on the status of enforcement actions taken under this bill.
