Bots have had a major impact on the ticketing industry in recent years. From automated ticket purchasing to customer service chatbots, bots are changing how ticketing companies operate and serve their customers.
What are bots and how are they used in ticketing?
Bots are software programs that are designed to automate tasks and interact with computer systems. In the context of ticketing, bots are commonly used for:
- Automated ticket purchasing – Bots can be programmed to monitor ticketing sites and automatically purchase tickets as soon as they go on sale. This allows people to buy tickets faster than doing it manually.
- Ticket resale – Bots purchase tickets in bulk for the purpose of reselling them at a higher price on secondary markets.
- Customer service – Chatbots and virtual assistants can be used to handle common customer service queries about events, ticket purchases, etc.
- Fraud prevention – Bots help detect fraudulent activity, such as users creating multiple accounts or suspicious payment information.
- Data collection and analytics – Bots can scrape ticketing sites and compile data on ticket availability, pricing trends, etc.
The impact of bots on ticket availability
One of the biggest impacts bots have had on ticketing is reducing ticket availability for high-demand events. Bots enable scalpers and brokers to buy up tickets in bulk the moment they go on sale. This leaves fewer tickets for regular consumers trying to purchase tickets through normal channels. Some key stats on how bots affect ticket availability include:
- Up to 60% of tickets for hot shows sell out within minutes of going on sale due to bot purchases.
- Less than 1% of tickets for some events are available for the general public once bot orders are fulfilled.
- Over 80% of tickets are held for presales, VIP packages, radio contests, etc. before the main public on-sale, further limiting supply.
- The average bot can purchase over 1,000 tickets per minute, while a human may struggle to get just 1.
The speed and scale at which bots operate have made it extremely difficult for fans to purchase tickets at face value. According to a 2020 Government Accountability Office study, the percentage of seats sold on the secondary market ranged from 30% to 70% for major touring acts.
Examples of limited ticket supply due to bots
- In 2014, bots purchased 60% of tickets for U2’s tour within minutes of them going on sale. Only 4% were available for the general public.
- Tickets for Adele’s 2016 tour sold out instantly and appeared on resale sites with enormous markups. 98% of tickets were unavailable to fans at face value.
- When Harry Styles announced a 2018 tour, over 80% of tickets were instantly posted on resale sites by scalpers. VIP packages were listed for thousands of dollars.
How bots manipulate ticketing prices
In addition to gobbling up ticket inventory, bots also enable scalpers to manipulate pricing in the secondary ticket market. By creating scarcity, bots drive up resale prices to extreme levels compared to the original face value price. Some key ways bots manipulate ticketing prices include:
- Instantly listing tickets at significantly inflated prices on resale sites – Often 10X or more the original cost.
- Monitoring competitors’ prices and adjusting theirs accordingly to maximize profit.
- Offering the illusion of scarce inventory by controlling large batches of tickets.
- Releasing and re-listing tickets over time as prices rise leading up to an event.
The Government Accountability Office found that ticket prices can increase on the secondary market by more than 100% over face value. The following table illustrates how prices for an example $100 face value ticket can be manipulated on resale sites:
Days Before Event | Sample Resale Price |
---|---|
60 Days | $250 |
30 Days | $500 |
1 Week | $1,000 |
Day Before | $2,500 |
Day Of | $5,000 |
These inflated and rapidly fluctuating prices make it extremely difficult for fans to get fair value. They must compete with profit-driven bot owners manipulating the market.
Examples of bot price inflation
- Tickets for a 2018 Beyonce and Jay Z concert were instantly listed for $10,000 each, 100X their face value.
- scalperPresto rgily bought $350 Broadway tickets for $2000-$10,000 using bots, making up to $600,000 in profit on one show.
- During the 2014 World Cup, tickets were selling for as high as $40,000 due to scarcity caused by bots quickly buying inventory.
Anti-bot measures from ticketing companies
In response to these issues, ticketing companies have implemented a variety of anti-bot measures to try and level the playing field by stopping bulk automated purchases. Some common anti-bot tactics include:
- CAPTHA/reCAPTCHA – Requires users to verify they are human before purchasing tickets.
- Waiting rooms – Holds users in a virtual queue before allowing them access to the ticket buying process.
- Ticket limits – Restricts the maximum number of tickets each user can buy, often 4-6 per household.
- Banning known scalpers – Identifying and blocking serial scalpers who violate terms of service.
- Canceling suspicious orders – Orders with multiple payment methods or made too quickly may be canceled.
Some of these methods have been modestly effective, such as waiting rooms that randomly order users. However, advanced bots continue to bypass these protections using sophisticated capabilities like machine learning and spoofing technology.
Examples of bots evading anti-bot measures
- Bots can solve complex CAPTCHAs with over 90% accuracy using OCR and AI.
- Scalpers pay people to manually solve CAPTCHAs that stump bots for now.
- Bots are programmed to mimic human browsing behavior, fooling waiting rooms and activity monitoring.
- Scalpers program bots across thousands of IP addresses and accounts, circumventing ticket limits.
The future of bots in ticketing
Bots are likely to continue evolving and finding ways around ticketing safeguards. However, there are some promising technological developments that may help restrict bots in the future:
- Smart contract ticketing – Tickets are directly linked to buyer’s identity via blockchain, preventing resale.
- Device fingerprinting – Analyzes users’ device info to detect suspicious bulk purchases from bots.
- TIX Protection – Uses AI and biometrics to identify each unique user.
- Ticketmaster SafeTix – Users must show the credit card used to purchase for venue entry, blocking scalping.
Stronger regulations are also being proposed, such as the BOTS Act which bans the use of bots to buy event tickets in bulk. Combating the economic incentive of scalping through laws or price caps may also be impactful.
Ultimately, the cat-and-mouse game between bots and anti-bot measures will continue as technology evolves. But over time, ticketing companies are adopting more sophisticated solutions to restore fairness and accessibility for fans.
Conclusion
Bots have fundamentally changed the live event ticketing landscape, making it extremely difficult for regular fans to purchase tickets at face value. Automated purchasing bots snap up huge inventories within seconds, manipulating scarcity and enabling predatory pricing. While ticketing companies have implemented measures to try and restrict bots, the most sophisticated bots continue to find ways to evade protections. As technology improves, there is optimism that solutions like biometrics and blockchain can reduce the influence of bots. However, bots are likely to remain a nuisance for ticketing and live events for the foreseeable future.