Description:
S. 3183 would prohibit people from taking certain actions to circumvent technology used by ticket sellers to enforce online event ticket purchase rules and limits. The bill also would prohibit the resale of tickets obtained in that manner. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would enforce the proposed prohibition.
Based on information from the FTC about its current enforcement capabilities, CBO estimates that increased costs related to monitoring and enforcing the new prohibitions established by S. 3183 would total less than $500,000 per year; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
In addition, CBO estimates that enacting S. 3183 would increase federal revenues from civil penalties imposed to enforce the new prohibition; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that those collections would be insignificant because of the small number of cases that the agency would probably pursue. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending.
CBO estimates that enacting S. 3183 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 3183 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
On September 9, 2016, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for H.R. 5104, the Better On-line Ticket Sales Act of 2016, as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 13, 2016. The two pieces of legislation are similar and CBO’s estimates of the budgetary effects are the same.
