Photo: Taylor Swift | By Emily Ferguson, Westword | Governor Jared Polis wants to protect Colorado’s strong “entertainment ecosystem.” At least, that’s his explanation for vetoing the Consumer Protection in Event Ticketing Sales bill (SB23-060) on June 6, after a last-ditch effort by the bill’s sponsors and other supporters ranging from concert promoters to sports venues to save the legislation. The bill had aimed to enshrine legal definitions of bots and other deceptive ticketing practices, outline civil penalties for bad actors and generally defend consumers from scalpers and other ticketing scams.
In a letter accompanying his veto, Polis noted that he “strongly supports” some aspects of the bill, including that it would have expanded the definition of deceptive ticketing practices to include bots, would have prevented scammer sites from using deceptive URLs, and would have required displayed ticket prices to include all fees. It also would have prohibited venues from denying access to those with valid tickets that were bought through resellers.
“However, there are also some significant problems with the bill that risk upsetting the successful entertainment system in Colorado,” Polis wrote, adding that he was concerned that SB23-060 would have the “potential to discourage competition in the sector, ultimately harming consumers.” Groups including the National Consumers League and the Consumer Federation of America had called for the bill’s veto, he noted.
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Read the full story and Governor Polis’ reasons for veto’ing the bill here:
https://www.westword.com/music/colorado-governor-veto-ticketing-consumer-protection-bill-17039153
Emily Ferguson is Westword’s Culture Editor, covering Denver’s flourishing arts and music scene.
[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]
Photo: Taylor Swift
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June 14, 2023| Colorado Music-Related Business| Barb Dye