Congress·Reported·S. 196

Congress Proposes New Rules Requiring Ticket Sites to Block Bots and Report Cyberattacks

MAIN Event Ticketing Act

7 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Part of: Congress Moves to Outlaw Ticket-Buying Bots

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill makes it illegal to use software or apps to bypass security measures on ticket websites. This is meant to stop 'bots' from buying up all the seats for concerts, sports, and shows before regular fans can get them.
Companies that sell tickets online would be required to create and maintain security systems that enforce ticket limits. They must also update these systems regularly to keep up with new technology used by hackers.
If a ticket website discovers that someone has bypassed their security, they must report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) within 30 days. The FTC will then share this information with state lawyers to help catch the people responsible.
The bill requires the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to work together with the FTC to track cyberattacks on ticket websites. This helps the government understand how bots are evolving and how to stop them.
Ticket sellers would be legally required to fix security problems once they know about them. This ensures that companies are taking active steps to protect fans instead of just letting bots take over their sales.

Technology DigitalEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

4 milestones5 actions

Sep 2, 2025Senate

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 144.

Sep 2, 2025Senate

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-57.

Apr 30, 2025Senate

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Jan 22, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Jan 22, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

4 articles

Axios·12 months ago

Federal lawmakers hope to crack down on ticket-buying bots

Introduced by Rep. Troy Carter and others, the bill would make it harder for bots to buy tickets for major events. It mandates that online ticket sellers report successful bot attacks to the FTC within 30 days and maintain security systems to enforce ticket limits.

Kingsport Times News·12 months ago

Harshbarger introduces bill to hold ticket scalpers accountable

Rep. Diana Harshbarger introduced the House companion to the MAIN Event Ticketing Act. The bill builds on the 2016 BOTS Act by requiring ticket sellers to notify the FTC of bot attacks and establishing data security requirements to protect fans from price gouging.

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Clarksville Online·about 2 months ago

Congressional Republicans Take Aim at Ticket Bots and Scalper Markups

Senator Marsha Blackburn highlighted the MAIN Event Ticketing Act as a key tool to give the FTC more power against bad actors. The bill mandates reports from ticket sellers about successful bot attacks and requires the FTC to share consumer complaints with state attorneys general.

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