Connecticut § 53-289a - Tickets to entertainment events. Disclosures. Exemption.

§ 53-289a. Tickets to entertainment events. Disclosures. Exemption.

Sec. 53-289a. Tickets to entertainment events. Disclosures. Exemption. (a) As used in this section, “service charge” means any additional fee or charge that is designated as an “administrative fee”, “service fee” or “surcharge” or by using another substantially similar term.

(b) No person shall advertise the prices of tickets to any entertainment event, including, but not limited to, any place of amusement, arena, stadium, theater, performance, sport, exhibition or athletic contest given in this state for which a service charge is imposed for the sale of a ticket at the site of the event, without conspicuously disclosing in such advertisement, whether displayed at the site of the event or elsewhere, the total price for each ticket and what portion of each ticket price, stated in a dollar amount, represents a service charge.

(c) If a price is charged for admission to a place of entertainment, the operator of the place of entertainment shall print, endorse or otherwise disclose on the face of each ticket to an entertainment event at such place of entertainment (1) the price established for such ticket, or (2) if such operator, or such operator's agent, sells or resells such ticket, including at auction, the final price of such ticket.

(d) (1) Any person that facilitates the sale or resale of a ticket to an entertainment event shall (A) disclose the total price of such ticket, which total price shall include all service charges required to purchase such ticket, and (B) disclose, in a clear and conspicuous manner, to the purchaser of such ticket the portion of the total ticket price, expressed as a dollar amount, that is attributable to service charges charged to such purchaser for such ticket.

(2) The disclosures required under subdivision (1) of this subsection shall be displayed in the ticket listing before the ticket is selected for purchase. The total ticket price shall not increase during the period beginning when a ticket is selected for purchase and ending when a ticket is purchased, except a reasonable service charge may be charged for delivery of a nonelectronic ticket if (A) such service charge is based on the delivery method selected by the ticket purchaser, and (B) such service charge is disclosed to such purchaser before such purchaser purchases such ticket.

(3) No disclosure required under this subsection shall be (A) false or misleading, (B) presented more prominently than the total ticket price, or (C) displayed in a font size that is as large or larger than the font size in which the total ticket price is displayed.

(e) A movie shall not be deemed to constitute an entertainment event for the purposes of this section.

(P.A. 91-152; P.A. 23-98, S. 7; 23-191, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 23-98 added Subsec. (a) defining “service charge”, designated existing provisions re advertisements as Subsec. (b) and added Subsecs. (c) and (d) re ticketing disclosures; P.A. 23-191 added Subsec. (e) providing that movie shall not be deemed to constitute entertainment event for purposes of section.