House passes bill targeting automated ticket-buying “Grinch” bots

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Oct. 28 passed House Bill 1063, a measure that criminalizes the use of automated software commonly called “Grinch Bots” or scalper bots when used to purchase event tickets or other high-demand items with the intent to resell at inflated prices. The bill passed final passage by a recorded vote of 169-34 and will be presented to the state Senate for concurrence.

Representative Steve Malagari, the bill’s prime sponsor, told colleagues the measure updates consumer protections for a digital market that has evolved since the Legislature last acted on the issue. “Grinch bots are automated programs that create artificial scarcity for in demand products and services,” Malagari said on the House floor. He argued the bots “manipulate online markets by buying up tickets, goods, and other items faster than any human ever could,” and recounted complaints filed with the attorney general’s office after high-profile presale failures.

The bill’s sponsor described the legislation as broadening the law to make it a crime to bypass online purchasing systems with bots or to buy in bulk with intent to resell at inflated prices. Malagari said the measure tightens definitions and clarifies rules around electronic queues and waiting periods to address new forms of online fraud.

The House record shows the clerk recorded 169 ayes and 34 nays on final passage. The chair directed the clerk to present the bill to the Senate for concurrence.

Background and scope: proponents said automated scalping has affected consumers’ access to live events and high-demand goods and cited past incidents when bots flooded ticketing systems and secondary markets listed tickets at many times face value. The sponsor urged the House to modernize statute language to reflect how technology and fraud methods have evolved.

No floor amendments altering the bill’s core prohibition were recorded in the afternoon session. The measure’s text, enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or any carve-outs were summarized on the floor but the clerk’s reading and sponsor remarks are the primary record of the House debate.

Next steps: The bill will be forwarded to the Senate for action. The transcript does not record Senate action or any committee assignments in the Senate.