Assembly advances consumer‑protection bill to require proof‑of‑purchase delivery for event tickets

SACRAMENTO — The Assembly Arts Committee on April 22 advanced AB 1291, a bill aimed at reducing consumer confusion and fraud in primary and secondary ticket sales by requiring timely electronic proof of purchase and limited use of that proof to gain entry when linked to an unused ticket.

Assemblymember Lee, the bill’s author, said the amendments he was accepting would require primary ticket sellers to electronically deliver proof of purchase immediately on sale and permit that proof to be used to gain entry if the purchaser cannot access their ticket for reasons beyond their control — provided the proof is linked to an actual ticket that has not been used. "What this bill will do is add a modicum of certainty to people when they buy their tickets so that they aren't going to receive their tickets until right up until before the event," Lee said.

Consumer advocates described the market context as dominated by a small number of large platforms and cited federal antitrust litigation questioning Live Nation/Ticketmaster practices. Robert Harrell of the Consumer Federation of California told the committee that delayed ticket delivery is a recurring consumer problem and recounted a personal example in which a ticket transfer became unusable after a family illness.

Supporters included labor and Latino business groups and secondary‑market platforms that favor clearer consumer protections. Opposition came in detailed testimony from the National Independent Venue Association and several professional sports teams and venue operators, who said delayed barcode release is an important anti‑scalping tool for independent venues and that proof‑of‑purchase rules could create operational and security problems (for example, multiple counterfeit receipts presented at gates). The Niners and other teams argued the version of the bill in print differed from the amendments the author said he would accept and urged delay until language is finalized.

Committee members voiced a range of concerns, including the risk of undermining anti‑scalping practices, the technical challenge of verifying receipts at venue gates, and the need for state and federal coordination. The author said the bill applies to primary sellers and that secondary sellers would also be required to provide proof of purchase under the amendments he accepts; he said he would continue negotiations with venues and other stakeholders.

The committee moved AB 1291 to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection for additional consideration. The committee record shows a divided tally in committee; the bill advanced with a recorded majority and will undergo further amendment.