A.G. Schneiderman Announces $2.7 Million In Settlements With Six Ticket Brokers That Illegally Bought And Resold Tickets In Bulk

NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced settlements with six ticket brokers that, collectively, illegally resold hundreds of thousands of tickets in New York State since 2011, including on popular ticket resale platforms like StubHub and Vivid Seats.  The companies – TicketToad.com, Inc. of New Jersey, Charm City Entertainment LLC of Florida, Just In Time Tickets, Inc. of New York, A2Z Tix LLC of New York, Flying Falco Entertainment, Inc. (d/b/a Avery Tickets) of California, and All Events Utah, LLC of Utah  – each illegally sold tickets to events in New York over the last several years without first obtaining the required license.  TicketToad, A2Z, Just In Time, Flying Falco Entertainment and All Events Utah also violated New York’s ticket laws by using illegal software (known as ticket “Bots”) to purchase large numbers of tickets on websites such as Ticketmaster.com before the tickets could be obtained by consumers.  After obtaining the tickets illegally, the resellers then resold them at a large profit to New York consumers, among others.  The settlements require that the companies and their principals maintain proper ticket reseller licenses, abstain from using Bots, and pay penalties for having operated illegally. The settlements require the six companies to pay a combined total of $2,760,000 in disgorged profits and penalties to the State.

“Our office has zero tolerance for ticket resellers that use illegal bots to scoop up large numbers of tickets for popular events before consumers can obtain them, and then resell those tickets to those very same consumers at a large markup,” said Attorney General Schneiderman.  “New Yorkers deserve a fairer ticket marketplace.  Our office will continue to enforce New York’s ticket laws by investigating ticket brokers who are breaking our laws, and making them pay for their illegal acts.” 

Flying Falco Entertainment paid $1,125,000 to settle the Attorney General’s investigation; TicketToad paid $650,000; All Events Utah paid $325,000; Just In Time paid $300,000; A2Z Tix paid $260,000; and Charm City paid $100,000.

Attorney General Schneiderman’s investigation found that Ticket Toad illegally purchased 520 tickets to an August 5, 2013 Beyonce concert at Barclay’s Center within three minutes and Avery Tickets illegally purchased 522 tickets to a June 28, 2013 One Direction concert at Jones Beach within five minutes.  

Since releasing its report on the concert and sports ticket industry titled Obstructed View: What’s Blocking New Yorkers From Getting Tickets on January 28, 2016, Attorney General Schneiderman has now announced settlements with eight ticket brokers for a total of $2,905,000. Attorney General Schneiderman’s broader investigation into the secondary ticketing industry remains ongoing.

These cases were handled by Bureau of Internet and Technology (BIT) Assistant Attorneys General Aaron Chase, Jordan Adler, and Noah Stein, BIT Bureau Chief Kathleen McGee and former Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Karla G. Sanchez.