Ticketmaster is the largest primary ticket outlet in the United States, selling tens of millions of tickets per year for concerts, sporting events, theater shows, and more. As the dominant player in the ticket sales industry, Ticketmaster has significant control over how tickets are sold and distributed. One important policy that impacts consumers is whether Ticketmaster enforces limits on how many tickets a single person can purchase for a given event. This can have major implications for regular fans trying to buy tickets, as well as for scalpers who resell large quantities of tickets. In this article, we will examine Ticketmaster’s current ticket limits and the reasons behind these policies.
What are Ticketmaster’s purchase limits?
Ticketmaster does impose some restrictions on how many tickets a customer can buy, but the exact limits depend on the event. Here are some of the main purchase limits to be aware of:
Concerts
For most major rock, pop, hip hop, and country concerts, Ticketmaster sets a 4-6 ticket limit per household. This means you can generally buy 4-6 tickets in a single transaction when tickets first go on sale. The limits are enforced by linking ticket purchases to your Ticketmaster online account and address.
Sporting Events
The ticket limits are higher for most sporting events. For an NFL or MLB game, for example, the limit may be 8-12 tickets per household. For NBA and NHL games, the limits are typically in the 4-8 ticket range.
Theater/Broadway Shows
For extremely high demand theater shows like Hamilton, Ticketmaster often sets very low limits such as 2 or 4 tickets per household. Other theater events typically have 6-8 ticket maximums.
Music Festivals
Huge multi-day music festivals like Coachella or Lollapalooza generally have low limits around 2-4 tickets per person during the initial sales. These restrictions help prevent scalpers from buying up all the passes.
VIP Packages
When purchasing VIP ticket packages that include extras like meet-and-greet access, the Ticketmaster limits are usually set at 1-2 per order. This ensures more fans can enjoy these special experiences.
So in summary, while Ticketmaster does not reveal the exact limits for every event in advance, most major concerts have 4-6 ticket caps and most sporting events have 8-12 ticket caps for initial sales. Limits are lower for high-demand theater shows and festivals.
Why does Ticketmaster set ticket purchase limits?
Ticketmaster imposes ticket buying restrictions for a few key reasons:
Prevent Scalping
One of the main motivations behind Ticketmaster’s purchase limits is to cut down on scalping and resale of tickets on secondary markets. By capping how many tickets each customer can buy, it makes it harder for scalpers to scoop up huge quantities of tickets solely for resale at higher prices. This helps get more tickets directly into the hands of genuine fans.
Give More Fans Access
Beyond just hindering scalpers, the ticket limits also allow more individual fans to get tickets even if shows sell out quickly. If each buyer could purchase an unlimited number of tickets, the entire arena could sell out to just a handful of people. By spreading the ticket supply across more customers, Ticketmaster’s caps give average fans a fair shot at getting seats.
Discourage Fraud
Setting reasonable ticket limits also helps crack down on fraud by preventing people from buying up hundreds of tickets under fake identities. The caps incentivize buyers to purchase tickets normally under their real accounts.
Improve Fan Experience
Another goal served by Ticketmaster’s restrictions is enhancing the event experience for attendees. If secondary resellers bought up huge blocks of seats, it could lead to empty sections at events that would create a diminished atmosphere. Keeping more tickets directly available to genuine fans results in better energy and engagement at shows.
How strictly does Ticketmaster enforce ticket limits?
Ticketmaster uses a variety of technical measures to enforce posted ticket limits:
Linking to Accounts
As mentioned above, one way Ticketmaster polices limits is by tying each purchase to a fan’s online account and address. This allows them to easily track how many tickets each customer is buying across devices and web browsers. If you try to circumvent a limit by logging into multiple accounts, Ticketmaster will cancel excess orders.
Queue System
For very high demand onsales, Ticketmaster sometimes uses an online waiting room or queue to control the flow of customers. This puts buyers in line and prevents bots or scripts from overwhelming the site. Once you enter the queue, you are allocated a set number of tickets based on the purchase limit.
CAPTCHA Checks
Ticketmaster requires buyers to verify they are human by completing CAPTCHA puzzles when ordering tickets. Bots have difficulty passing these checks, adding another obstacle for scalpers using automation software to buy tickets.
Payment Info Monitoring
On the back end, Ticketmaster closely analyzes payment information like credit card numbers to detect suspicious patterns. If the same card is used across many orders above the limit, those transactions will be cancelled.
IP Address Tracking
Ticketmaster may also monitor the IP addresses of ticket buyers to catch people trying to exceed limits across different devices. This allows them to connect orders from the same IP to a single person.
While Ticketmaster does occasionally miss some rule-breakers, their methods are robust enough to effectively enforce posted limits in most cases. Very few tickets make it into the hands of scalpers anymore relative to the past.
What are some examples of Ticketmaster ticket limits?
To illustrate how Ticketmaster’s restrictions work in practice, here are some real examples of recent ticket onsales:
Taylor Swift ‘Eras’ Tour
For Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated 2023 tour, Ticketmaster set a 4 ticket limit per household for the initial Verified Fan presale. Even with this cap, the overwhelming demand still crashed Ticketmaster’s site. A 6 ticket limit was later imposed for the general onsale.
Adele Las Vegas Residency
Tickets to Adele’s exclusive Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace also had very tight restrictions. The limit was just 2 tickets per person for certain VIP packages. For regular show tickets, the limit was 4 per household.
New York Yankees
For New York Yankees MLB games, Ticketmaster enforces consistent season ticket limits. The cap is set at 12 tickets per game for all sections. Individual game purchases are also limited to 12 tickets.
Wicked on Broadway
As one of Broadway’s most popular shows, Wicked has always enforced strict limits. Typically for Wicked, Ticketmaster only allows 2-4 tickets per transaction. This ensures tickets are available to more individual theatergoers.
Coachella Music Festival
Passes to Coachella always sell out instantly despite high prices. To help more fans get tickets, Coachella organizers impose a very low 4 ticket limit per order. It is one of the tightest restrictions imposed for any event.
Are there any ways around Ticketmaster’s ticket limits?
While Ticketmaster has closed many loopholes, there are still a few workarounds savvy fans use to sometimes exceed posted limits:
Using Multiple Accounts
Having family or friends buy tickets under separate Ticketmaster accounts is one of the simplest ways around per household limits. Just make sure the tickets are all being purchased legitimately for people who actually plan to attend.
Staggering Transactions
You may be able to bypass quantity restrictions by splitting your order across back-to-back transactions. For example, first buying 4 tickets, then immediately buying 2 more before your session expires. But Ticketmaster may still catch on and cancel later orders.
Different Delivery Addresses
In some cases, you can expand your limit by having tickets sent to multiple addresses tied to the same credit card account. But Ticketmaster looks for these patterns to prevent abuse.
Gift Cards
Redeeming Ticketmaster gift cards across different accounts provides another avenue for getting around household limits. But gift cards are subject to fraud checks too.
Any techniques that attempt to circumvent Ticketmaster’s clearly posted limits violates their terms of service. If detected, your entire order will be cancelled with no recourse. The safest approach is following the restrictions.
Will Ticketmaster’s ticket limits ever change?
Ticketmaster is constantly evaluating their ticket limits and may make occasional adjustments, but don’t expect major changes anytime soon. Here are some reasons why:
Limits Curtail Scalping
As discussed earlier, the ticket caps are effective at reducing scalping activity. Loosening limits would likely result in more tickets ending up on resale sites. Artist teams want to avoid that scenario.
Artists Approve Limits
The event performers and organizers themselves have a big say in determining Ticketmaster’s purchase restrictions. Most endorse reasonable limits to get tickets into the hands of as many true fans as possible.
High Demand
As long as demand vastly exceeds supply for top concerts and shows, tight limits will be required. Expanding access would just create more competition among buyers.
Limits Level Playing Field
By restricting bulk purchases, Ticketmaster aims to create more fairness and equal access for average fans. Higher limits would favor whomever can afford to buy the most tickets.
Deters Scalpers
Again, the existing caps are key to deterring scalpers and brokers. Lifting them would be a welcome change for scalpers but a negative for fans.
Ticketmaster may tweak purchase quantities here and there, but expect per person limits to remain the norm across most events. It creates a better experience for fans and artists alike.
Should Ticketmaster lower or raise ticket limits?
There are good-faith arguments on both sides of this debate:
Reasons to Lower Limits
– Further restrict scalping activity
– Allow even more individual fans to get tickets
– Increase fairness for high-demand events
– Improve atmosphere when more attendees bought tickets for themselves
Reasons to Raise Limits
– Allow larger groups and families to sit together
– Reduce complications of having to coordinate many small orders
– Let more customers buy tickets as gifts for friends
– Give season ticket holders flexibility to resell some tickets
Both lowered and heightened limits have advantages and downsides. In general, the current caps strike a reasonable balance between restricting bulk scalping purchases versus enabling genuine fans to buy tickets in reasonable quantities for friends and family.
But for truly high demand tours and shows where tickets sell out immediately, lowering household limits to 2-4 tickets would arguably be beneficial. Cracking down on scalping should be the priority for the most popular events. There is a case to be made on both sides.
Conclusion
Ticketmaster does impose limits on how many event tickets a single customer can buy, with typical caps ranging from 2-6 tickets for major concerts and 4-12 tickets for sporting events. These restrictions are enforced through linking purchases to online accounts, CAPTCHA checks, and payment info monitoring.
The limits aim to deter scalping by brokers, allow more individual fans to get access to tickets, prevent fraud, and create a better event atmosphere. While not foolproof, Ticketmaster’s methods are largely effective at enforcing the posted ticket quantity restrictions.
Hard limits understandably create frustrations when trying to coordinate group purchases for friends and family. But they go a long way towards ensuring fairness and optimal conditions for fans attending events. Expect Ticketmaster’s ticketing limits to remain firmly in place for the foreseeable future.