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With the College World Series less than a month away, the Omaha City Council approved changes to ticket scalping and noise ordinances. Ticket scalpers have long operated under laws requiring tickets to be sold at or below face value near venues. But enforcement of the code was quietly impacted when the vast majority of College World Series tickets went digital in 2021. “Arguably, the ordinance was difficult to enforce,” Omaha City Prosecutor Kevin Slimp told KETV, largely because the code prohibited ticket resales “for an amount greater than the face value printed on the ticket.” Digital tickets, of course, are not printed, and often don’t list the face value at all.The Omaha City Council approved an update to the ordinance with a 6-0 vote on Tuesday. It simply bans the reselling of all tickets near the venue for more than the original ticket price. Like the original ordinance, the update applies within a half-mile radius of any event at a venue owned by the City of Omaha or Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority. MECA owns Charles Schwab Field and the CHI Health Center. It takes effect in 15 days.Slimp addressed the reasoning behind the ban: “It leads to congestion. It leads to high-pressure sales techniques and things like that.” Violators could face a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in jail. Slimp acknowledged that some scalpers might treat the fine as a cost of doing business.”Ideally, it would serve as a deterrent and encourage people not to violate it,” he said. “But I do suspect that there will be probably some amount of violators.” Slimp said the ordinance will not ban simply posting your tickets online at more than what you paid for them, even if posted from the stadium.Noise ordinance The city council also voted 6-0 another ordinance proposed by the City Law Department on Tuesday. Brinker Harding was not at Tuesday’s meeting. The amendment to the noise ordinance addresses amplified sound, including bullhorns, not only reproduction of sound.Slimp said the update has a looser connection to the College World Series than the ticket scalping ordinance. “If things come up and people are trying to disrupt a game or a broadcast or something like that, we would look to seek to enforce it in those situations,” he said. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
With the College World Series less than a month away, the Omaha City Council approved changes to ticket scalping and noise ordinances.
Ticket scalpers have long operated under laws requiring tickets to be sold at or below face value near venues. But enforcement of the code was quietly impacted when the vast majority of College World Series tickets went digital in 2021.
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“Arguably, the ordinance was difficult to enforce,” Omaha City Prosecutor Kevin Slimp told KETV, largely because the code prohibited ticket resales “for an amount greater than the face value printed on the ticket.” Digital tickets, of course, are not printed, and often don’t list the face value at all.
The Omaha City Council approved an update to the ordinance with a 6-0 vote on Tuesday. It simply bans the reselling of all tickets near the venue for more than the original ticket price.
Like the original ordinance, the update applies within a half-mile radius of any event at a venue owned by the City of Omaha or Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority. MECA owns Charles Schwab Field and the CHI Health Center.
It takes effect in 15 days.
Slimp addressed the reasoning behind the ban: “It leads to congestion. It leads to high-pressure sales techniques and things like that.”
Violators could face a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months in jail. Slimp acknowledged that some scalpers might treat the fine as a cost of doing business.
“Ideally, it would serve as a deterrent and encourage people not to violate it,” he said. “But I do suspect that there will be probably some amount of violators.”
Slimp said the ordinance will not ban simply posting your tickets online at more than what you paid for them, even if posted from the stadium.
Noise ordinance
The city council also voted 6-0 another ordinance proposed by the City Law Department on Tuesday. Brinker Harding was not at Tuesday’s meeting.
The amendment to the noise ordinance addresses amplified sound, including bullhorns, not only reproduction of sound.
Slimp said the update has a looser connection to the College World Series than the ticket scalping ordinance.
“If things come up and people are trying to disrupt a game or a broadcast or something like that, we would look to seek to enforce it in those situations,” he said.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
