Q: I read about Amy Stephens being an entrepreneur by “brokering” tickets and making a huge profit on them. What is the difference between that and scalping tickets, which I thought was against the law in Georgia?
—Yvonne Roberts, Snellville
A: Individuals and companies must be licensed by the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission to be recognized as a ticket broker in Georgia. The annual license fee is $500. Georgia law states only licensed ticket brokers can resell or offer for resale a ticket or other evidence of the right of entry to any athletic event, concert, theater performance or other entertainment events for a price for more than the ticket's face value. The service charge set by an authorized ticket broker should not exceed $3, according to state law. Ticket brokers offering to resell tickets through printed, broadcast or Internet advertising are required by the state to include their license number. Adler said the National Association of Ticket Brokers, which has about 220 members (including Stephens' company, Amy's Tickets, which is run out of her home in Smyrna), requires its members to have a permanent place of business and offer a 200 percent refund guarantee policy, among other guidelines. Statutes in Georgia regulate the resale of tickets and the addition of service charges, Cobb County District Attorney Pat Head told Q&A on the News. "If there is a violation of the statutes, it is a high and aggravated misdemeanor. The Solicitor General would handle any such case," he wrote in an email.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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