Ticketmaster, the largest primary ticket marketplace in the United States, utilizes a variety of methods to enforce ticket limits for in-demand events. This ensures tickets are distributed fairly and prevents scalpers from buying up all the seats using bots. Enforcing limits is a challenging task, as Ticketmaster sells over 400 million tickets per year for concerts, sports games, theater shows, and more.
Verifying identities
The first line of defense in enforcing ticket limits is verifying the identity of customers. Ticketmaster requires users to have an account with valid contact and payment information to purchase tickets. This helps prevent scalpers from creating multiple fake accounts to circumvent purchase limits.
Some additional steps Ticketmaster takes to confirm identities:
- Require phone number verification when setting up an account
- Use services like Equifax to cross-check identifying information
- Utilize CAPTCHA tests and other safeguards to block bots from creating accounts
- Flag accounts with suspicious attributes like recently created or multiple failed payment attempts
By ensuring each account is tied to a real human buyer, Ticketmaster makes it much harder for scalpers to amass tickets under fake identities.
IP address tracking
Ticketmaster also uses IP address tracking to enforce ticket limits. An IP address is a numeric identifier assigned to each device connected to the internet. By monitoring IP addresses, Ticketmaster can identify purchases coming from the same computer/network.
Some ways Ticketmaster uses IP address tracking include:
- Blocking multiple purchases from the same IP address if it would exceed the ticket limit
- Requiring CAPTCHA or account verification if a new IP tries to access a known user’s account
- Analyzing IP purchase history to identify potential scalpers
- Temporarily blocking IPs suspected to be running bot ticket buying programs
This makes it challenging for scalpers to route purchases through proxy servers or bots distributed across many devices. The IP blocks are also dynamic – once the purchase limit time window closes, the restrictions are lifted.
Limiting purchase quantities
The most straightforward way Ticketmaster enforces limits is by simply restricting how many tickets a customer can buy. Limits vary based on the event, but commonly range from 2-8 tickets per transaction or 4-8 tickets total if there are multiple sales windows.
A few key points on Ticketmaster’s quantity restrictions:
- Restrictions apply universally per event, regardless of ticket type or section
- Limits are set ahead of time based on expected demand
- Attempting to exceed the quantity limit will block the purchase
- Restrictions are enforced across pre-sales, general sales, VIP packages and other offerings
Quantity limits create a level playing field and ensure more fans have a chance to buy tickets before they sell out. Limits are visible during the purchasing process so customers are aware.
Randomizing and staggering sales
To make it even harder for scalpers to game the system, Ticketmaster has also implemented randomized and staggered sales windows. In the past, all the tickets would go on sale at the same predictable date and time. This allowed scalpers to target their bots and get first in line.
Now, Ticketmaster has adopted strategies like:
- Opening sales at randomly chosen times without advance notice
- Only selling a portion of seats during the initial sale, then opening more at scattered times
- Using randomized waiting rooms that randomly select when customers get to shop
This adds more unpredictability and ensures a smoother spread of sales. Bots can’t swarm right at the start and crowd out regular buyers.
Fighting bot attacks
A core part of enforcing ticket limits is preventing automated bot attacks from scalpers. These bots are programmed to flood Ticketmaster and buy up as many tickets as possible.
Ticketmaster employs a number of countermeasures:
- Using reCAPTCHA and other advanced validation tests to verify customers are human
- Programming “captchas” that only humans could answer into the ticketing flow
- Setting rate limits on purchases from the same source
- Monitoring traffic and purchase patterns to identify bot behavior
- Employing technology like machine learning to adapt to new bot strategies
This is an ongoing battle as scalpers develop ever-more sophisticated bots. But Ticketmaster has been able to reduce their impact significantly over the years through these efforts.
Cancelling suspicious orders
If a purchase slip past Ticketmaster’s protections, there are still measures to try and cancel it. Ticketmaster closely monitors all purchases and order patterns looking for attributes that suggest scalping:
- Purchases that exceed posted ticket limits
- Large batches of tickets all bought together
- Multiple purchases completed in bursts faster than a human could
- Suspicious IP addresses, account details, or payment info
If scalping is suspected, Ticketmaster can cancel the transactions and release the tickets back for general sale. This policy acts as a final safeguard against limit-violating sales.
Limiting ticket transfers
To prevent scalpers from re-selling their hoarded tickets, Ticketmaster also restricts how purchases can be transferred or re-sold. Measures include:
- Only allowing ticket transfers to friends/family members of the buyer
- Prohibiting sales outside of Ticketmaster’s official resale marketplace
- Requiring the original purchaser to be present at the event along with their ticket transfer recipient
These restrictions make it much less profitable for scalpers to attempt to re-sell tickets obtained above the purchase limits. It helps discourage the practice altogether.
Cooperating with event organizers
The event organizers themselves often impose additional ticket limits beyond Ticketmaster’s rules. Sports teams may mandate a 4 ticket per household cap for season ticketholders, while concert promoters could limit VIP packages to 2 per customer.
Ticketmaster works closely with organizers to coordinate these limits across all sales channels. This provides consistent rules for everyone trying to buy tickets.
Some ways they collaborate:
- Syncing limits across primary and secondary markets to close loopholes
- Preventing buyers from combining limits across presales, fan clubs, generals sales, etc to exceed caps
- Sharing order data to identify potential scalpers trying to buy from both sources
This united front presents scalpers with fewer opportunities to find and exploit weaknesses.
Lobbying for legal reforms
Ticketmaster has also been active in lobbying for legislative changes around ticket sale limits and anti-scalping laws. Some initiatives they have supported:
- Passing the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act in 2016, which bans the use of scalper bots
- Backing bills in various states to put hard caps on ticket purchases
- Calling for more authority to cancel suspicious transactions without refunds
- Demanding more transparency around event ticketing to identify pre-sales abuses
These campaigns help address the problem on a systemic level beyond just banning bad buyers.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster goes to great lengths to enforce event ticket limits and combat scalpers. Methods range from verifying identities and tracking IPs to adding CAPTCHAs and cancelling suspicious sales. There are also efforts to randomize on-sales, restrict transfers, and cooperate with event organizers.
No system is perfect, and sophisticated scalper bots still pose a major challenge. But Ticketmaster’s multilayered approach has significantly leveled the playing field. While work remains, average fans today have a much better shot at scoring seats to top events compared to a decade ago.
Ticket limits create a more equitable buying experience and help get tickets into the hands of people who actually want to attend the event. Stopping large-scale scalping benefits both fans and organizers. And Ticketmaster will likely continue innovating new ways to enforce restrictions as technology and scalper techniques evolve.