A new poll reveals Minnesota voters overwhelmingly believe a ticket to a concert or a sporting event is their personal property and they should have the right to transfer that ticket to anyone they wish. More than 90 percent of registered voters polled believe this to be the case.
The Fan Freedom Project commissioned Penn Schoen Berland to conduct a survey of 654 registered Minnesota voters and 134 season-ticket holders. The polling showed more than half of registered voters and 70 percent of season-ticket holders would NOT purchase tickets if the tickets could not be given away or resold in the event the original purchaser could not or chose not to attend.
“As Minnesota legislators consider companion bills HF 657 and SF 425 to prohibit the sale of restricted tickets, they should be aware more than 90 percent of Minnesota voters strongly favor ticket ownership rights,” said Jon Potter, president of the Fan Freedom Project. “These bills will protect Minnesota voters’ property rights, and keep sports teams, concert promoters and Ticketmaster from creating unfair, anti-consumer monopolies in Minnesota.”
“This survey clearly illustrates Minnesota voters want to own their tickets and that anything less than full ownership will diminish their interest in attending live events,” said Abdul Kamara, sports and concert fan from Oakdale. “Legislating to preserve transferability and disallow restrictive tickets will benefit fans, and it will protect our current free market.”
Many opponents of HF 657 and SF 425 claim restrictive tickets are necessary to protect fans from scalping and “bots.” However, Minnesota already has strong laws prohibiting the use of computerized ticket purchasing “bots.”
In contrast, the survey found season-ticket holders are the people most likely to resell or give away their tickets, and 66 percent of season-ticket holders generally resell their tickets for face value or less. Resales below face value allow fans to sit in great seats for very little money; however, in several markets team owners and ticket agencies prohibit resale of tickets when posted prices are below face value.
“Season-ticket holders trying to make back some money or give their friends a gift are not scalpers Minnesotans need to be protected from. Restricted tickets are bad for fans like me, as well as consumers and businesses,” said Geoffrey Jarpe, a Minnesota Twins season-ticket holder from Lilydale.
About Fan Freedom Project
Launched in February, 2011, the Fan Freedom Project is supported by more than 100,000 live event fans, and is backed by leading consumer and business organizations such as the National Consumers League, Consumer Action, the American Conservative Union, the Minnesota Restaurant Association, the Minnesota Lodging Association, the Institute for Liberty, the League of Fans, and Net Choice. Initial funding was provided by StubHub, a division of eBay.
