Governor Maura Healey Proposes Caps on Ticket Resale Prices

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey proposed The Great Divide Act on Thursday to protect consumers from price gouging in the secondary ticket market for concerts and sporting events. The legislation, which will be included in her closeout supplemental budget, would cap ticket resale prices at 110% of the original face value and limit reseller service fees to 10% of the total value. The proposal also prohibits the sale of speculative tickets and the use of deceptive marketing practices.

During a press conference at the State House, Healey cited fraudulent ticket experiences during the World Cup as a catalyst for the measure. Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan supported the plan via a pre-recorded video, stating that artists cannot alone combat market manipulation by secondary resellers.

Industry reactions are divided. Ticketmaster stated it supports capping resale prices and banning speculative ticketing. However, the Ticket Policy Forum and the Coalition for Ticket Fairness argue the bill is insufficient because it exempts the primary market. These critics claim that by ignoring the primary market—where dynamic pricing drives costs—the law protects a monopoly rather than fans. Additionally, resale platforms such as StubHub and SeatGeek warned that such regulations do not address the initial cost of tickets and could increase scams on unregulated platforms. State Senator Dylan Fernandes plans to file the resale language as an amendment to the Senate's economic development bill.