HARRISBURG PA – Ever tried to buy tickets directly online for a concert or performance you really wanted to see, only to learn that some computerized robot had beaten you to the punch? Then – if you could afford it – you had to buy your way into the show from a third party, usually at dramatically higher costs.
Montgomery County state Rep. Steven R. Malagari of Lansdale knows your pain.
Malagari represents residents of Pennsylvania’s 53rd House District, and also is a member of the PA House Communications and Technology Committee. Its majority chair is Pottstown area state Rep. Joe Ciresi.
Committee members recently approved the Malagari-proposed House Bill 1063, which could put a dent into robot-related ticket purchases. It is intended to protect Pennsylvanians by prohibiting the use of “grinch bot” or “scalper bot” software. Those are names for automated computer routines that buy event tickets and resells them at steeper prices.
‘A Fair Opportunity to Buy Tickets’
Ciresi notes that “coordinated grinch bot attacks overwhelmed Ticketmaster’s system in November 2022, when pre-sale tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour launched.” He described those attacks as “egregious” and cited news reporting that claimed prices soared as a result. Some fans paid “as much as 70 times the (tickets’) face value,” Ciresi adds.
“The legislation would help ensure that fans have a fair opportunity to buy tickets to events,” according to a statement from the committee.
Malagari’s bill also would require all state information technology contracts to meet cybersecurity standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The bill was forwarded Oct. 7 (2025; Tuesday) to the full House for further consideration. Before it becomes law it must pass the House with a majority vote, be reviewed by and also pass the state Senate, and then be signed by the governor.
Top photo by Missvain, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, used by Travels With The Post under license
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