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Connecticut General Assembly
Office of Legislative Research
Stephanie A. D’Ambrose, Director
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Room 5300
Legislative Office Building
New Requirements for Disclosing the
Price of Entertainment Event Tickets
By: Julia Singer Bansal, Senior Legislative Attorney
August 15, 2023 | 2023-R-0184
Issue
What is the new state law on disclosing entertainment ticket prices and fees during a sales
transaction?
Summary
During the 2023 session, the legislature amended a law on entertainment ticket advertising to
address certain ticketing practices. Beginning October 1, 2023, among other things, the amended
law requires (1) ticket sale facilitators to disclose “all-in” ticket prices from the start of the sales
transaction and (2) venue operators to include certain price information on a ticket’s face.
Existing state law already required anyone advertising entertainment event ticket prices to
conspicuously disclose in the advertisement the total price for each ticket and the amount of that
price in dollars attributable to service charges imposed for the sale of the ticket at the site of the
event. This requirement applies to any place of amusement, arena, stadium, theatre, performance,
sport, exhibition, or athletic contest. The 2023 legislation defines “service charge” for purposes of
this law as any additional fee or charge that is designated as an administrative fee, service fee, or
surcharge using those or substantially similar terms (CGS § 53-289a, as amended by PA 23-98, §
7). Another new law exempts movie tickets from this law on advertising ticket prices (PA 23-191, §
5).
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August 15, 2023
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Other existing related entertainment ticket laws:
1. require a ticket reseller to refund the purchase price if the (a) event is cancelled, (b) ticket
the purchaser receives does not grant admission to the event the ticket describes, or (c)
ticket fails to conform to the reseller’s advertisement of it (CGS § 53-289b);
2. generally prohibit reselling, offering to resell, or soliciting the resale of a ticket on the day of
the event within 1,500 feet of the physical structure in which the event takes place, without
written authorization by the owner or operator of the structure or event (exceptions exist for
reselling at no more than face value and selling tickets from a nearby permanent office)
(CGS § 53-289c);
3. generally prohibit ticket sellers from using ticketing systems that do not give purchasers the
option to buy tickets that are transferable to anyone, at any price or time, without (a)
additional fees and (b) the ticket seller’s consent (CGS § 53-289d); and
4. prohibit anyone from using automated ticket purchasing software to buy tickets on the
internet (i.e., using a device, computer program, or computer software that enables the
automated purchase of tickets to entertainment events by bypassing or rendering
inoperable security measures on a website) (CGS § 53-289e).
New Law on Price Disclosures
Beginning October 1, 2023, the law establishes separate requirements for ticket sale facilitators
and entertainment event venue operators (“operators”). The new requirements apply to tickets for
entertainment events, except movie tickets (PA 23-98, § 7 and PA 23-191, § 5).
Requirements for Ticket Sale Facilitators
Beginning October 1, 2023, the law requires any person who facilitates ticket sales or resales for
an entertainment event to disclose:
1. the total ticket price, including all service charges required to buy the ticket, and
2. in a clear and conspicuous manner, to the ticket purchaser, the portion of the charged ticket
price in dollars attributable to service charges.
The law requires these disclosures to be displayed in the ticket listing before the ticket is selected
for purchase. It prohibits any increase of the total ticket price during the ticket purchasing process
(i.e., from the time when the ticket is selected for purchase and ending when it is purchased), other
than a reasonable service charge to deliver a nonelectronic ticket if the charge is (1) based on the
delivery method selected by the purchaser and (2) disclosed to the purchaser before purchase.
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The law also prohibits (1) false or misleading disclosures and (2) disclosures from being presented
more prominently than the total ticket price, or in a font size as large or larger than the font size of
the total ticket price.
Under the new law, “service charge” means any additional fee or charge that is designated as an
administrative fee, service fee, or surcharge using those or substantially similar terms.
Requirements for Operators
Beginning October 1, 2023, the law requires operators who charge an admission price for a place
of entertainment to print, endorse, or otherwise disclose on each ticket face for an event the:
1. established ticket price and
2. final price of the ticket if the operator or his or her agent sells or resells it (including at
auction).
JB:co
