Ticket sales

AN ACT Relating to ticket sales; amending RCW 19.345.010 and 1
19.345.020; adding new sections to chapter 19.345 RCW; creating a new 2
section; prescribing penalties; and providing an effective date.3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the ticket 5
market for live entertainment and sporting events has become 6
increasingly complex, leading to consumer confusion, hidden fees, and 7
fraudulent practices. The legislature intends to protect consumers by 8
promoting transparency and fair competition in both the primary and 9
secondary ticket markets, while also supporting nonprofit and smaller 10
arts and performance venues that are essential to Washington's 11
culture and economy. The legislature further intends to safeguard 12
artists' fair wages and the integrity of public funds by ensuring 13
that taxpayer-supported venues and organizations, which strive to 14
keep ticket prices affordable for their communities and honor 15
contractual agreements with artists, are not undermined by 16
profiteering of the secondary market.17
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This chapter does not apply to the 18
following:19
(1) Agricultural fairs; 20
S-3869.2
SENATE BILL 6175
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Lovelett, J. Wilson, Wellman, Dhingra, Frame, Pedersen,
Nobles, Valdez, Alvarado, Trudeau, Cortes, Conway, Slatter, Lovick,
C. Wilson, Kauffman, Shewmake, Salomon, Bateman, Cleveland, Orwall,
Hunt, Wagoner, Robinson, Hasegawa, and Riccelli
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(2) K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, or associated 1
booster clubs or student organizations; 2
(3) Nonprofit organizations or businesses whose primary purpose 3
is the advancement or presentation of arts, culture, science, or 4
heritage, and that have an annual gross revenue from the sale of 5
tickets of less than $500,000; 6
(4) Movie theaters; 7
(5) Professional and collegiate athletic teams;8
(6) Federally recognized tribes; and 9
(7) Tribal cultural institutions. 10
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A ticket issuer shall not restrict the 11
transferability of a ticket sold unless the terms and conditions on 12
transferability are clearly and conspicuously disclosed to the 13
consumer prior to purchase and the consumer acknowledges receipt of 14
such disclosure prior to purchase.15
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. It is an unfair or deceptive act or 16
practice for a person to engage in the business of a ticket reseller 17
or ticket resale marketplace without the written permission of the 18
original ticket seller, or the owner or operator of the property 19
where the event is being held, or both, if the resale transaction 20
violates the contractual or license terms of the original ticket 21
sale.22
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The sale, offer for sale, or advertisement 23
of a speculative ticket is prohibited. An advertisement for a 24
speculative ticket is a violation for each ticket listed in the 25
advertisement.26
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Resellers and secondary ticket exchanges 27
are prohibited from listing or selling tickets before their initial 28
public on-sale. Additionally, fan club presale tickets may not be 29
accessed, listed, or resold by any ticket reseller or exchange.30
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Resellers must notify ticket buyers in 31
writing within eight hours if they receive notification that an event 32
is canceled, rescheduled, delayed, or the venue is changed.33
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NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. A person may not knowingly resell or offer 1
to resell a ticket that was obtained in violation of this act.2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. (1) A person may not knowingly purchase 3
with the intent to resell, a quantity of tickets from the original 4
ticket seller that exceeds the maximum ticket limit quantity posted 5
by such seller at the point of the original ticket seller.6
(2) Charitable organizations and their employees and volunteers 7
are not subject to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section 8
when offering tickets for sale in a raffle, auction, or similar 9
fundraising activity for the benefit of the organization's charitable 10
purpose. 11
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. (1) The total price at which a reseller 12
may sell or offer to sell a ticket to a consumer, including any 13
service fees charged by the reseller or secondary ticket exchange, 14
may not exceed 110 percent of the total price of the initial ticket, 15
including all fees and taxes in connection with the initial ticket.16
(2) A person or secondary ticket exchange may not charge a 17
service fee exceeding 10 percent of the initial ticket's total price 18
to the consumer. This fee must be incorporated into the calculation 19
of the 110 percent resale price cap established in subsection (1) of 20
this section. 21
(3) The fee and price limitations of subsections (1) and (2) of 22
this section do not apply to the resale of tickets for a sporting 23
event where the ticket issuer is a professional or minor league 24
sports team, sports organization, or promoter. 25
(4)(a) Resellers may not alter original digital tickets to change 26
ticket pricing, order numbers, names, or other information printed on 27
the face of the ticket. They must include vendor identification and 28
clearly state that it is a secondary market ticket purchase.29
(b) Charitable organizations and their employees and volunteers 30
are not subject to the requirements of (a) of this subsection when 31
offering tickets for sale in a raffle, auction, or similar 32
fundraising activity for the benefit of the organization's charitable 33
purpose. 34
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. (1) No secondary entertainment event 35
ticket exchange, reseller, or operator of any website purporting to 36
sell or offer for sale entertainment event tickets that link or 37
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redirect to a secondary entertainment event ticket exchange or 1
reseller may do the following: 2
(a) Use any performing artist name, venue name, event organizer 3
name, graphic, marketing logo, image, likeness, or other intellectual 4
property of a performing artist, venue, or event organizer, including 5
using any proprietary resemblance of the venue where an event occurs 6
in promotional materials, social media promotions, or uniform 7
resource locators of the secondary entertainment event ticket 8
exchange, reseller, or website; or 9
(b) State or imply that the secondary entertainment event ticket 10
exchange, reseller, or website is affiliated with or endorsed by a 11
venue or performing artist, including by using words such as 12
"official" in promotional materials, social media promotions, search 13
engine optimization, paid advertising, uniform resource locators, or 14
search engine monetization unless the secondary entertainment event 15
ticket exchange, reseller, or website has the express written consent 16
of the venue or performing artist. 17
(2) Any digital advertising, website, or mobile application 18
operated by a ticket reseller or secondary marketplace must include a 19
clear, prominent, and easily visible disclosure in the top 20 percent 20
of the webpage, including the homepage, landing pages, and any page 21
where tickets are purchased, stating the following:22
(a) That the site is a reseller or secondary marketplace; and23
(b) That the buyer is not purchasing a ticket directly from the 24
event venue, team, artist, original/primary ticket seller.25
(3) Resellers are prohibited from using the name of an artist, 26
performer, team, or venue in the website's uniform resource locator 27
with the intent to gain an unfair search engine optimization 28
advantage or to mislead consumers into believing the site is an 29
official or primary seller. 30
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. (1) Any person or entity that 31
commercially engages in the resale of tickets for events taking place 32
within this state, or provides a platform for such commercial 33
activities, shall obtain a license from the department of licensing 34
prior to commencing operations. This chapter is subject to the 35
uniform regulation of business and professions act, chapter 18.235 36
RCW.37
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(2) The department of licensing shall establish and require a 1
single class of ticket license to ensure appropriate oversight for 2
each segment of the industry, including: 3
(a) Ticket resale marketplace license: Required for any platform, 4
service, or technology provider that facilitates, hosts, or operates 5
a secondary market for the resale of tickets by third parties; and6
(b) Commercial ticket reseller license: Required for any 7
individual or entity whose business, in whole or in part, involves 8
the acquisition and commercial resale of tickets for profit.9
(3) An individual who is not otherwise classified under 10
subsection (2) of this section is exempt from the licensing 11
requirements of this section if they resell fewer than 10 tickets 12
within a single calendar year. This exemption is intended for casual 13
sales and does not apply to tickets resold as part of a recurring 14
business or commercial activity. 15
(4) The department of licensing shall adopt rules and set license 16
fees for the licenses required under this section. Fees shall be set 17
at a level to cover the costs of administering this chapter.18
(5) The department of licensing may revoke a reseller's 19
registration for one to five years for a violation of this chapter.20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. (1) Any applicant who intentionally 21
provides false information in an application for licensure is subject 22
to denial of the license application, or if the license is issued, 23
suspension or revocation of the license, or a civil penalty of up to 24
$1,000 per violation, or both, as determined by the department of 25
licensing.26
(2) Any licensee who changes the business name, business address, 27
or primary contact information must notify the department of 28
licensing in writing within 30 days of such change. Failure to 29
provide timely and accurate notice may result in suspension or 30
revocation of the license, or a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per 31
violation, or both, as determined by the department.32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. The department of licensing shall set 33
license and endorsement fees at a level to cover the costs of 34
administering this chapter. However, the department may establish a 35
reduced or tiered fee schedule for nonprofit organizations and small 36
organizations, as defined by rule, to promote access and 37
participation.38
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NEW SECTION. Sec. 15. (1) If a reseller fails to deliver 1
tickets to a consumer, the consumer may claim compensation from a 2
surety bond, which the department of licensing shall require for all 3
registered resellers.4
(2) The surety bond must be at least $25,000 and must cover the 5
cost of the tickets, as well as any reasonable travel expenses 6
incurred by the consumer because of the failure to deliver. The 7
department of licensing may adjust the bond amount, not to exceed 8
$100,000, based on the reseller's sales volume and consumer 9
complaints according to rules established by the department. The 10
department shall establish rules regarding the required bond amount 11
and the consumer claim process. 12
(3) The department of licensing may enforce collection and shall 13
oversee the consumer claim process. 14
(4) If a reseller violated the original ticket sellers' contract 15
and terms for ticket buyers at the time of purchase, the original 16
ticket sellers may claim compensation from a surety bond, which must 17
cover the cost of the ticket and associated fees, including credit 18
card fees, plus other loss of revenue, and reasonable administrative 19
expenses or legal fees, or both. The department of licensing may 20
oversee the ticket issuer claim process. 21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16. (1) Any person who violates this chapter 22
shall be liable for the following civil penalties:23
(a) A base penalty of at least $1,000 for each day the violation 24
occurs or continues; and 25
(b) An additional penalty equal to the greater of:26
(i) $1,000 per ticket listed, advertised, sold, or resold in 27
violation of this chapter; or 28
(ii) An amount equal to three times the total ticket price of 29
each ticket listed, advertised, sold, or resold in violation of this 30
chapter. 31
(2) The department of licensing may take appropriate 32
administrative action to enforce collection. 33
(3) A consumer who has been subjected to a violation of the price 34
limitations of section 10 of this act or has purchased a speculative 35
ticket in violation of section 5 of this act may bring a civil action 36
against the violating party for damages. Recovery for an action 37
brought under this subsection is limited to the greater of: (a) Three 38
times the amount of the initial ticket price; or (b) $500 per 39
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violation. This private right of action is only available where the 1
consumer can demonstrate actual monetary damages or denial of entry 2
to the event resulting from the violation. This subsection (3) does 3
not apply if the tickets are sold as part of a package that includes 4
additional goods or services such as transportation or lodging.5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17. (1) The department of licensing shall 6
establish a publicly accessible website to allow individuals to 7
report violations of this chapter.8
(2) The department of licensing shall prepare an annual report on 9
enforcement actions, penalty collections, and the overall 10
effectiveness of this chapter in reducing violations, to be submitted 11
to the relevant legislative committee and made available to the 12
public. 13
NEW SECTION. Sec. 18. (1) The legislature finds that the 14
practices covered by this chapter are matters vitally affecting the 15
public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection 16
act, chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this chapter is not reasonable 17
in relation to the development and preservation of business and is an 18
unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce and an unfair method of 19
competition for purposes of applying the consumer protection act, 20
chapter 19.86 RCW.21
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a consumer's 22
private right of action for a violation of this chapter under chapter 23
19.86 RCW is limited to only those provisions of this act that 24
involve fraud, speculative ticketing, bot use, or the failure to 25
provide a guaranteed refund in the case of a canceled or illegitimate 26
ticket. No private right of action is authorized for a violation of 27
administrative requirements or disclosure requirements unless the 28
violation results in a direct and demonstrable injury to the 29
consumer. 30
NEW SECTION. Sec. 19. (1) A reseller may not request, cause, or 31
accept a refund, credit, exchange, or cancellation from the primary 32
ticket seller for any ticket that the reseller has resold, offered 33
for resale, or transferred to another person for commercial purposes.34
(2)(a) Any refund or credit obtained in violation of this section 35
constitutes an unfair or deceptive act or practice.36
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(b) A reseller who obtains a refund or causes the cancellation of 1
a ticket after reselling or transferring that ticket is liable for 2
all resulting losses incurred by the purchaser, the primary ticket 3
seller, or the event organizer, in addition to any civil penalties 4
provided under this act. 5
(c) Each ticket refunded or canceled in violation of this section 6
constitutes a separate violation. 7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 20. (1) A reseller may not sell, offer for 8
sale, advertise, transfer, or distribute a ticket, barcode, or other 9
access credential to more than one purchaser.10
(2) A reseller may not reproduce, duplicate, alter, or distribute 11
a ticket or barcode for the purpose of selling the same ticket to 12
multiple buyers. 13
(3) A reseller may not knowingly sell or offer for sale a ticket 14
that has been, or will be, transferred, assigned, or sold to any 15
other person. 16
(4) Each sale or attempted sale of a ticket that has been 17
duplicated or resold to more than one person constitutes a separate 18
violation. 19
(5) Any person who violates this section is liable for civil 20
penalties under this act and may be subject to license suspension, 21
revocation, or surety bond claims pursuant to sections 13 and 15 of 22
this act. 23
NEW SECTION. Sec. 21. If any provision of this act or its 24
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the 25
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other 26
persons or circumstances is not affected.27
Sec. 22. RCW 19.345.010 and 2015 c 129 s 2 are each amended to 28
read as follows: 29
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 30
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 31
(1) (("Admission ticket" means evidence of a right of entry to a 32
venue or an entertainment event.33
(2))) "Affinity group" means an identifiable group of people who 34
are members of the same organization, or who are customers of the 35
same person, and who enjoy special privileges. 36
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(2) "All-in price" means the total cost of an admission ticket, 1
including all fees and charges that must be paid to purchase the 2
ticket, other than taxes or actual and verifiable shipping costs, 3
such as the fee charged by a third-party postal or courier service 4
for physical delivery, which must be disclosed prior to acceptance of 5
payment. "All-in price" includes all fees for electronic or digital 6
delivery regardless of whether the fee is the sole option or selected 7
by the consumer. The disclosed "all-in price" must be the most 8
prominent price presented to the consumer.9
(3) "Event" means a concert, theatrical performance, festival, 10
sporting event, exhibition, show, comedy performance, or other 11
similar activity held in this state. 12
(4) "Initial sale" means the first sale of an admission ticket by 13
the primary ticket seller. "Initial sale" also includes the 14
distribution of admission tickets under an agreement between the 15
ticket seller and the recipient. 16
(5) "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, 17
limited liability company, other organization, or any combination 18
thereof. 19
(6) (("Place of entertainment" means any privately or publicly 20
owned or operated entertainment facility within this state, such as a 21
theater, stadium, museum, arena, park, racetrack, or other place 22
where concerts, theatrical performances, sporting events, 23
exhibitions, shows, or other similar activities are held and for 24
which an entry fee is charged.25
(7) "Presale" means a sale of admission tickets at or below the 26
price printed on the ticket by, or with the permission of, a ticket 27
seller, prior to their release to the general public.28
(8) "Promoter" means a person who organizes financing and 29
publicity for an entertainment event.30
(9) "Ticket seller" means a person that makes admission tickets 31
available, directly or indirectly, at an initial presale or sale to 32
the general public, and may include an owner or operator of a place 33
of entertainment, a sponsor or promoter of an event, a sports team 34
participating in an event, a fan club or affinity group, a theater 35
company, a musical group, or similar participant in an event, or an 36
employee or agent of any such person )) "Primary ticket seller" means 37
the person or entity that has the initial contractual right to sell 38
the admission tickets for an event directly to the public, which may 39
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include the owner or operator of a venue, a promoter, or an 1
authorized agent of the owner, operator, or promoter.2
(7) "Resale" means the second or subsequent sale of a ticket by 3
any method, including in-person transactions, telephone, mail, email, 4
facsimile, or electronic means through websites or mobile apps.5
(8) "Reseller" means a person, partnership, corporation, limited 6
liability company, other organization, or any combination thereof 7
engaged in the business of the resale of tickets.8
(9) "Secondary ticket exchange" means an electronic marketplace 9
enabling the sale, purchase, and resale of tickets.10
(10) "Speculative ticket" means a ticket not in the actual or 11
constructive possession of the reseller at the time of listing, sale, 12
or advertisement. This includes tickets not owned by the reseller or 13
under contract to be transferred to the reseller at the time of sale.14
(11) "Ticket" means any form of physical, electronic, or other 15
evidence that grants the possessor of the evidence license to enter a 16
place of entertainment or an event.17
(12) "Ticket issuer" means the person or entity that issues 18
tickets and terms for the ticket buyers, which may include an artist, 19
a band, a promoter, a sports team, a venue, a theater, a club, or a 20
festival.21
(13) "Ticket resale marketplace" means a person or entity that 22
operates a platform or exchange to facilitate the resale or offering 23
for resale of admission tickets between third parties, which includes 24
platforms or exchanges operating by means of an internet website, 25
application, phone system, or other similar technology, and who does 26
not generally maintain their own ticket inventory, and which may 27
include a ticket seller. 28
Sec. 23. RCW 19.345.020 and 2015 c 129 s 3 are each amended to 29
read as follows: 30
(1) A person may not: 31
(a) Use software to circumvent, thwart, interfere with, or evade 32
a security measure, access control system, or other control or 33
measure on a ticket seller's internet website; or 34
(b) Sell software that is advertised for profit with the express 35
purpose to circumvent, thwart, interfere with, or evade a security 36
measure, access control system, or other control or measure on a 37
ticket seller's internet website. 38
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(2) The use or sale of software as described in subsection (1) of 1
this section only violates this section if the user or seller knows 2
or should know that the purpose of the software is to circumvent, 3
thwart, interfere with, or evade a security measure, access control 4
system, or other control or measure on a ticket seller's internet 5
website. 6
(3) ((The legislature finds that the conduct described in 7
subsection (1) of this section vitally affects the public interest 8
for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 9
19.86 RCW. Using or selling software to circumvent, thwart, or evade 10
a control or measure, which is used on a ticket seller's internet 11
website to ensure an equitable distribution of tickets, is not 12
reasonable in relation to the development and preservation of 13
business and is an unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce and 14
an unfair method of competition for the purposes of applying the 15
consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW)) It is an unfair or 16
deceptive act or practice for any person to engage in the business of 17
a ticket reseller or ticket resale marketplace without:18
(a) Clearly and conspicuously disclosing the all-in price before 19
a consumer selects a ticket to purchase, and an itemized breakdown of 20
the base ticket price and all additional fees, charges, and taxes, 21
before acceptance of payment, except for actual shipping costs that 22
are disclosed before payment acceptance. The all-in price must be 23
displayed in a font size and prominence that is equal to or greater 24
than the base ticket price and any service fee;25
(b) Ensuring that the price of a ticket does not increase from 26
the time it is selected by a consumer to the time of purchase;27
(c) Disclosing their name, and their business address. For any 28
entity whose principal place of business is outside of Washington 29
state, the disclosure must also include the name and contact 30
information of a registered agent or agent for service of process in 31
Washington state;32
(d) Providing a readily accessible path to contacting for 33
complaints, customer service, and inquiries, including telephone 34
number, email address, a standard refund policy, and virtual support, 35
with anticipated response time, and guaranteeing a response to 36
consumer inquiries within three business days;37
(e) Providing the actual location of seats if reserved, or 38
section, if applicable, if there is a general admission event;39
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(f) Providing clear and conspicuous disclosure of any 1
restrictions on entry to the venue and limitations or restrictions on 2
resale or transferability;3
(g)(i) Guaranteeing a full refund to a purchaser within two weeks 4
if the event for which the ticket was resold is canceled;5
(ii) A nonprofit event presenter that offers a purchaser the 6
ability to choose between receiving a full refund in the event of a 7
cancellation or another option, including donating the amount paid 8
for their ticket to the nonprofit, or receiving an exchange or gift 9
certificate shall be understood to be compliant with (g)(i) of this 10
subsection;11
(h) Providing the original face value of the ticket alongside the 12
resellers' price, and in the same currency. This disclosure must be 13
located directly adjacent to the resellers' price and be of 14
comparable font size;15
(i) Providing clear and conspicuous disclosure that the person is 16
a reseller and not an official ticket seller; and17
(j) Guaranteeing a full refund to a purchaser within two weeks if 18
the ticket is not legitimate; or the purchaser is denied entrance 19
into the facility due to violation of permissive terms by the 20
reseller. 21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 24. Sections 1 through 20 of this act are 22
each added to chapter 19.345 RCW.23
NEW SECTION. Sec. 25. This act may be known and cited as the 24
Washington access and venue equity act or the WAVE act.25
NEW SECTION. Sec. 26. This act takes effect July 1, 2027.26
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