Ticketmaster, the largest ticket marketplace in the United States, is constantly battling bots that try to buy up tickets to popular events. Bots, also known as scalper bots, are automated programs that ticket brokers use to quickly search for and buy tickets in bulk. This often leaves regular fans ticketless and forced to buy from the secondary market at inflated prices.
Ticketmaster utilizes a number of methods to detect and deter bots from purchasing tickets. Here’s an overview of how Ticketmaster checks for bots when tickets go on sale.
Access Control
Ticketmaster uses access control measures such as CAPTCHAs and waiting rooms to help prevent bots from swarming their website all at once. CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) are challenges that require visual recognition in order to proceed. This is difficult for bots to solve but relatively easy for humans. Ticketmaster may require users to solve a CAPTCHA before entering the ticket buying process.
Waiting rooms are virtual queues that users are placed in before they gain access to the ticket buying pages. This staggers traffic instead of everyone hitting the site all at once. Humans can wait in the queue, but it prevents bots from instantly overwhelming the servers.
Purchase Limits
Ticketmaster enforces ticket purchase limits to prevent bulk buying. Limits may include:
- Number of tickets per transaction/account
- Number of transactions per day
- Restrictions on consecutive purchases
These makes large-scale bot ticketing more difficult and allows more individual fans to get tickets.
Purchase Verification
Ticketmaster utilizes tools such as ticket number randomization and qr code encryption as purchase verification methods. Ticket numbers are randomized so they can’t be guesssed ahead of time. The numbers themselves essentially act as a captcha. QR codes for each ticket are encrypted and can only be accessed after purchase, preventing bots from grabbing the codes.
Fraud Detection
Advanced machine learning algorithms monitor transactions for suspicious activity that may indicate bot use. Things like inhumanly fast transaction times, billing discrepancies, duplicate purchases, etc. can be flagged. Accounts suspected of bot use may be promptly banned or have their orders cancelled.
Bot Management Service
Ticketmaster partners with companies like Distil Networks that specialize in bot mitigation. Distil uses techniques like behavioral analysis, IP reputation monitoring, threat intelligence feeds, and machine learning to identify and block bot threats. Signatures form new bot attacks are quickly added to the blacklist.
SKU Limits
Ticketmaster may limit the number of tickets available for API/SDK distribution partners. For example, only X tickets for a given event can be sold via a particular distribution channel. This caps the number that a bot can purchase from any one source.
Rapid Order Cancellations
If Ticketmaster determines an order was placed by a bot, they can rapidly cancel the transactions before the tickets are delivered. This prevents scalpers from reselling the fraudulently obtained tickets.
Legal Action
Ticketmaster seeks to prosecute industrial-scale ticket brokers who violate their Terms of Use with large-scale bot ticketing. Going after the major players disincentivizes the practice.
Partnerships Against Bots
Ticketmaster participates in industry groups like the Better Business Bureau’s National Ticket Brokers Association to share best practices for mitigating bots. They also work with policymakers on better regulations against unfair ticketing practices.
Continued Technology Investment
Ticketmaster spends tens of millions annually to improve their systems and stay ahead of bot operators. Their team of technologists and data scientists is constantly experimenting with and evaluating new bot detection and prevention methods.
Buyer Verification
For some high-demand events, Ticketmaster may require ticket buyers to verify their identify by providing a credit card, phone number, mailing address or other information. This raises the difficulty for bots attempting to bulk purchase under fake identities.
Order Review
High-risk orders may be manually reviewed by Ticketmaster’s Risk Operations Center. Using machine learning and live agents, they can spot patterns consistent with bot activity and cancel those orders.
Proactive Bot Blocking
Ticketmaster tries to proactively identify bots before ticket sales open by monitoring sites known to advertise ticket bots and social media for potential threats. Potential bot operators may be preemptively blocked or closely monitored.
Partnerships with Law Enforcement
Ticketmaster partners with law enforcement agencies like the FBI that investigate cybercrime involving ticket scalping bots. Information sharing and cooperation with police can bolster prevention and provide intelligence on bot activities.
Implementing Multiple Layers of Protection
Ticketmaster doesn’t rely on just one bot prevention strategy. By implementing multiple layers of technical defenses, policy enforcements, legal deterrents, and human oversight, they aim to shut down bot ticketing from all angles. While not always perfect, Ticketmaster’s anti-bot efforts block millions of fraudulent tickets sales each year.
Conclusion
Bots pose a constant threat to fair access to event tickets. Through a combination of technology, policy, regulations, and partnerships, Ticketmaster deploys rigorous bot detection and prevention measures. Methods such as access control, purchase limits, fraud monitoring, SKU capping, rapid order cancellations, and manual reviews all aim to keep bots from snatching up tickets. While the battle against ticket scalping continues, Ticketmaster invests heavily in new capabilities and defenses to better serve real fans.