Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
5d ago

FTC Sues Key Investment Group Over Alleged Ticketmaster Purchase Limit Evasion

By citing violations of the BOTS Act alongside the FTC Act, the suit underscores a government drive to curb exploitative ticket-reselling tactics.

Image
Image
Image
Taylor Swift.

Overview

  • The FTC filed its Aug. 18 complaint in Maryland federal court accusing Key Investment Group and three senior executives of using thousands of fake or purchased Ticketmaster accounts to bypass per-customer purchase limits.
  • In one cited case, the reseller deployed 49 accounts to buy 273 tickets for a single Taylor Swift Eras Tour show, flouting the six-ticket purchase limit.
  • According to the complaint, the defendants spent $57 million from November 2022 to December 2023 to acquire at least 380,000 tickets and resold portions for $64 million.
  • Key Investment Group denies using bots and preemptively sued the FTC in July to block the probe, arguing that enforcement overreach threatens the secondary-ticket market.
  • The action follows President Donald Trump’s March directive to bolster BOTS Act enforcement and coincides with parallel antitrust litigation targeting Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment.