As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 563

2025-2026

To enact sections 1345.53 and 1345.54 of the Revised Code to regulate ticket sales.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 1345.53 and 1345.54 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 1345.53. (A) As used in this section and section 1345.54 of the Revised Code:

(1) "Entertainment" means all forms of entertainment, including theatrical or operatic performances, dance, ballet, concerts, motion pictures, entertainment at fairgrounds, amusement parks, athletic competitions and other sports, and all other forms of diversion, recreation, or show.

(2) "Internet domain name" means a globally unique, hierarchical reference to an internet host or service, which is assigned through a centralized internet naming authority and which is composed of a series of character strings separated by periods with the rightmost string specifying the top of the hierarchy.

(3) "Online ticket marketplace" means the administrator of a web site or other electronic service, including an agent, employee, or assignee of the administrator, that sells tickets or maintains a platform to facilitate the sale of tickets.

(4) "Operator" means a person, including an agent, employee, or assignee of the person who does one or more of the following:

(a) Owns, operates, or controls a place of entertainment;

(b) Produces entertainment;

(5) "Operator's base ticket price" means the price per ticket established by the operator.

(6) "Place of entertainment" means an entertainment facility, including an amphitheater, theater, stadium, arena, racetrack, museum, amusement park, venue, club, or other place where performances, concerts, exhibits, athletic games, contests, or other forms of entertainment are held.

(7) "Season ticket" means a ticket or group of tickets that allows the holder to attend a series of events or performances within a specific time period, whether they include a portion of that series, such as a flex pass or a mini-subscription, or the whole series, and are offered for original sale by an operator.

(8) "Ticket-buying session" means an online interaction between a purchaser and an online ticket marketplace, operator, or ticket reseller measured as from the time a purchaser selects a specific ticket and either completes the purchase or the session times out.

(9)(a) "Ticket reseller" means a person that offers or sells tickets for resale after the original sale to an entertainment event located in this state and includes an operator to the extent that the operator offers or sells tickets for resale. Sales by a ticket reseller include sales by any means, including in person or by telephone, mail, delivery service, facsimile, internet, email, or other electronic means.

(b) "Ticket reseller" does not include a person that purchases a ticket solely for the person's own use or the use of the person's invitees, employees, or agents.

(10) "URL" means a uniform resource locator for a web site on the internet.

(B) An operator shall, at all times during the ticket listing and purchasing process, disclose in an easily readable and conspicuous manner the total cost of the ticket, including all fees and surcharges that must be paid in order to purchase the ticket.

(C) A ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace shall, at all times during the ticket listing and purchasing process, disclose in an easily readable and conspicuous manner the total cost in dollars of the ticket, including all fees, all surcharges, and the amount above the operator's base ticket price.

(D)(1) An operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace shall disclose subtotals, fees, charges, or other components of the total cost of a ticket in a way that is not false or misleading, and such that the information is not presented more prominently than, or in the same or larger font as, the total cost of the ticket.

(2) An operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace may disclose subtotals, fees, charges, and other components of the total cost of the ticket in a manner that allows the purchaser to hide or minimize the itemized list.

(3) An operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace shall not increase the price of a ticket with respect to a particular person after the ticket is first displayed to that person. This division does not prohibit an operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace from doing any of the following:

(a) Charging a reasonable fee for the delivery of tickets in a nonelectronic form, upon election of that delivery method by the purchaser;

(b) Adding to the total cost additional purchases made by the purchaser, so long as the cost of those additional purchases are disclosed to the purchaser prior to the operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace accepting payment;

(c) Increasing the ticket price based upon supply and demand, provided the price is not changed in the same ticket-buying session with a particular person after the price is first displayed;

(d) Not disclosing the components or fees included in a season ticket which combined make up the operator's base ticket price.

(E)(1) A ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace shall disclose in an easily readable and conspicuous manner on the ticket reseller's or online ticket marketplace's web site or electronic service all of the following:

(a) That the web site or electronic service is owned or operated by a ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace and that the price of a resale ticket may be higher or lower than the original purchase price;

(b) That the purchaser is responsible for checking with the place of entertainment for information on changes to the event or cancellations prior to the event's start time;

(2) A ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace shall require a purchaser to confirm having read the disclosures required by division (E)(1) of this section before completing a transaction.

(F) Within twenty-four hours after selling a resale ticket, a ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace shall provide proof of purchase to the purchaser, which shall include all of the following:

(1) All event and ticket information;

(2) That the purchaser is responsible for checking with the place of entertainment for information on changes to the event or cancellations prior to the event's start time;

(3) The refund policy of the ticket reseller or online ticket marketplace.

(G) An online ticket marketplace or ticket reseller shall not use any words, image, trademark, copyright, web design, or internet address that is identical or substantially similar to words, images, trademark, copyright, web designs, or internet addresses associated with a place of entertainment without the written permission of the place of entertainment duly authorized to provide the permission. This division does not prohibit an online ticket marketplace from doing either or both of the following:

(1) Using words containing the name of a place of entertainment or of an event in order to describe the location of the event or the event itself;

(2) Providing information or images identifying the specific seat or area the purchaser will occupy in the place of entertainment.

(H) This section does not apply to persons engaged in annual aggregate transactions of less than five thousand dollars.

Sec. 1345.54. (A) No person shall do any of the following:

(1) Sell or offer to sell more than one copy of the same ticket to a place of entertainment;

(2) Directly or indirectly employ or compensate another person to purchase tickets for the purpose of reselling the tickets if the practice is prohibited by law or if the place of entertainment posts a policy prohibiting the practice;

(3) Sell or offer to sell a ticket without first informing the person of the location of the place of entertainment and the ticket's assigned seat, including the seat number, row, and section number of the seat;

(4) Sell or offer to sell a ticket for which there is no assigned seat without first informing the person of the general admission area to which the ticket corresponds;

(5) Advertise, offer for sale, or contract for the sale of a ticket before the ticket has been made available to the public, including via presale, without first obtaining permission from the place of entertainment and having actual or constructive possession of the ticket, unless the ticket reseller owns the ticket pursuant to a season ticket package purchased by the ticket reseller.

(B) No operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace shall use or caused to be used for reselling tickets an internet domain name or subdomain with a web site URL that contains the name of a place of entertainment, the name of an event, the name of a person scheduled to perform or appear at an event, or a name substantially similar to any of the foregoing, unless the operator, ticket reseller, or online ticket marketplace is acting on behalf of the place, event, or person.

(1) Circumvent any portion of the process for purchasing a ticket on the internet or for admission to a place of entertainment, including security or identity validation measures or an access control system;

(2) Disguise the identity of a purchaser for the purpose of purchasing a number of tickets for admission to a place of entertainment that exceeds the maximum number of tickets allowed for purchase by a person;

(3) Sell a ticket acquired in violation of division (C)(1) or (2) of this section regardless of whether the person participated in or had the ability to control the prohibited conduct.

(D) An operator, online ticket marketplace, or ticket reseller shall not sell a ticket unless one or both of the following apply:

(1) The ticket is in the possession or constructive possession of the operator, online ticket marketplace, or ticket reseller;

(2) The operator, online ticket marketplace, or ticket reseller has a written contract with the place of entertainment to obtain the ticket.

(E) A violation of this section or section 1345.53 of the Revised Code is an unfair or deceptive act or practice in violation of section 1345.02 of the Revised Code. All powers and remedies available to the attorney general to enforce sections 1345.01 to 1345.13 of the Revised Code are available to the attorney general to enforce this section and section 1345.53 of the Revised Code.