N.Y.
Arts and Cultural Affairs Law Section 25.30
Operator prohibitions
1.
A ticket is a license, issued by the operator of a place of entertainment, for admission to the place of entertainment at the date and time specified on the ticket, subject to the terms and conditions as specified by the operator. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, it shall be prohibited for any operator of a place of entertainment, or operator’s agent, to:(a)
restrict by any means the resale of any tickets included in a subscription or season ticket package as a condition of purchase, as a condition to retain such tickets for the duration of the subscription or season ticket package agreement, or as a condition to retain any contractually agreed upon rights to purchase future subscription or season ticket packages that are otherwise conferred in the subscription or season ticket agreement;(b)
deny access to a ticket holder who possesses a resold subscription or season ticket to a performance based solely on the grounds that such ticket has been resold; or(c)
employ a paperless ticketing system unless the consumer is given an option to purchase paperless tickets that the consumer can transfer at any price, and at any time, and without additional fees, independent of the operator or operator’s agent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an operator or operator’s agent may employ a paperless ticketing system that does not allow for independent transferability of paperless tickets only if the consumer is offered an option at the time of initial sale to purchase the same tickets in some other form that is transferrable independent of the operator or operator’s agent including, but not limited to, paper tickets or e-tickets. The established price for any given ticket shall be the same regardless of the form or transferability of such ticket. The ability for a ticket to be transferred independent of the operator or operator’s agent shall not constitute a special service for the purpose of imposing a service charge pursuant to section 25.29 of this article.2.
Additionally, nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit an operator of a place of entertainment from maintaining and enforcing any policies regarding conduct or behavior at or in connection with their venue. Further, nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit an operator of a place of entertainment or such operator’s agent, from restricting the resale of tickets that are offered as part of a targeted promotion, at a discounted price, or for free, to specific individuals or groups of individuals because of their status as, or membership in, a specific community or group, including, but not limited to, persons with disabilities, students, religious or civic organizations, or persons demonstrating economic hardship; provided, however that tickets offered promotionally to the general public shall not be considered as tickets offered to specific individuals or groups of individuals. Any promotional discounted or free tickets for which the operator or operator’s agent restricts resale must be clearly marked as such. An operator shall be permitted to revoke or restrict season tickets for reasons relating to violations of venue policies, including but not limited to, attempts by two or more persons to gain admission to a single event with both the cancelled tickets originally issued to a season ticket holder and those tickets re-issued as part of a resale transaction, and to the extent the operator may deem necessary for the protection of the safety of patrons or to address fraud or misconduct.3.
No operator or operator’s agent shall sell or convey tickets to any secondary ticket reseller owned or controlled by the operator or operator’s agent.4.
The operator or the promoter shall determine whether a seat for which a ticket is for sale has an obstructed view, and shall disclose such obstruction. If the operator or promoter discloses that a seat for which a ticket is for sale has an obstructed view, it shall be the responsibility of the secondary ticket reseller to disclose such obstruction upon the resale of such ticket. Such obstruction shall not include an obstruction of view caused by a person, or persons, seated in an adjacent seat, or seats, or occupying an aisle; or an obstruction of view caused by an object or objects placed upon an adjacent seat or seats, or in an aisle; or an obstruction of view that is de minimus or transitory in nature.5.
No operator or its agent shall transfer a prospective ticket purchaser through any means to a licensee or secondary ticket reseller without providing a clear and conspicuous disclosure that informs the prospective purchaser that the ticket is not being offered by the operator or its agent, but rather by a licensee or other ticket reseller in the secondary market. * NB Repealed July 1, 2025
Source:
Section 25.30 — Operator prohibitions, https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ACA/25.30 (updated Jul. 8, 2022; accessed Apr. 13, 2024).
