Vermont committee hears push for 10% cap on ticket resale to curb scalpers

Chair Clarkson convened the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs and opened a hearing on H.512, a consumer‑protection bill aimed at regulating the secondary market for event tickets.

The bill would ban deceptive or speculative ticket listings and limit resale prices to 10% above the original ticket price, a cap sponsors say would remove the financial incentive driving industrialized scalping. "Tickets are being sold on resale platforms for dramatically more than the original price," Susan Evans McClure said, describing lost revenue that leaves Vermont venues and artists.

Why it matters: witnesses told the committee that professional resellers and automated bots buy large blocks of tickets, list them at multiples of face value, or list tickets before primary sale, leaving fans stranded even if refunds are later issued. "Even if you do have a fraudulent ticket, even if they do refund you, it doesn't take care of the fact that you showed up to a venue…