Public Act 0474 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0318 Enrolled LRB104 06435 SPS 16471 b

Public Act 104-0474

AN ACT concerning business.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Prohibition on Bots Purchasing Tickets Act.

"Section 5. Definition. As used in this Act:

"Bot" means any automated software program that performs automatic and repetitive tasks and is designed to impersonate or replicate human activity online. "Bot" does not include auto fill or password management features built into an Internet browser or provided through separate software.

"Event facility" means a permanent structure for holding public meetings or public events, including, but not limited to, musical, dramatic, artistic, social, or athletic events. "Event facility" includes a convention center. "Event facility" does not include a school stadium, a county fair, a hotel, or a facility primarily owned or operated by a professional sports team or franchise.

Section 10. Prohibition on automated online ticket purchasing.

(a) A person shall not use or create one or more bots to:

(1) purchase tickets in excess of posted limits for an online ticket sale;

(2) use multiple Internet protocol addresses, multiple purchaser accounts, or multiple email addresses to purchase tickets in excess of the posted limit for any single online ticket sale; or

(3) circumvent or disable an electronic queue, waiting period, pre-sale code, or other sales volume limitation system associated with an online ticket sale.

(b) An owner or operator of an event facility that sells tickets to events, and any agent who conducts or facilitates those sales, shall report any known violation described in subsection (a) to the Attorney General within a reasonable period of time after discovery of the violation. The report shall include:

(1) a description of the violation;

(2) any available information about the individuals or entities involved in the violation; and

(3) any measures taken or planned to be taken to prevent further violations.

Section 15. Enforcement. A violation of this Act constitutes an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. All remedies, penalties, and authority granted by the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act shall be available for the enforcement of this Act.

Section 90. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act is amended by adding Section 2MMMM as follows:

(815 ILCS 505/2MMMM new)

Sec. 2MMMM. Violations of the Prohibition on Bots Purchasing Tickets Act. Any person that violates the Prohibition on Bots Purchasing Tickets Act commits an unlawful practice within the meaning of this Act.