Maine LD 913 was for the Fan—Until the Monopoly and Their Allies got Their Hands on It

There’s an old saying in politics: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” And unfortunately for Maine’s sports fans, that’s exactly what happened with LD 913. When LD 913 was first introduced, we cheered!  The bill was clear, simple, and absolutely necessary: it aimed to protect your right to use, gift, or resell your ticket without interference. In other words—it made sure that when you buy a ticket, you own it. Period.

But then the monopoly and their local allies got involved.

Somewhere along the line, powerful corporate interests led by the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly and their allies in the venue and entertainment industry hijacked the bill. What started as a pro-fan, pro-freedom measure turned into pro-monpoly bill

The amended version of LD 913 now caps resale prices and allows teams and ticketing companies to refuse entry to fans who purchased tickets on the secondary market. It's hard to overstate how dangerous that is. That’s why 48 states don’t have this policy. 

Let’s say you buy a ticket from a friend who can’t make it to the Sea Dogs game. You show up excited—and you get turned away at the gate. Why? Because you didn’t buy it through the “preferred” (read: profit-maximizing) resale platform and they deem it as invalid. That’s not just unfair. It’s humiliating.

Even worse, buried in the bill is another monopoly give-away: it requires resellers to disclose the section or seat number of tickets being sold. This lets teams and venues track down who’s reselling their tickets—and retaliate. We’ve already seen it happen in Detroit and Denver, where longtime season ticket holders had their access revoked just for selling a few games they couldn’t attend. If this bill passes in its current form, Sea Dogs and Mariners fans could face the same fate.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about stopping scams or helping fans. It’s about control. Live Nation-Ticketmaster and their allies want to dominate the entire lifecycle of a ticket—from the first sale to the last. Every time you buy or resell, they want a cut. They’re not just selling you a ticket—they’re selling you a leash. By capping resale prices and forcing you into their platforms, they rake in fees on both ends and crush any competition. It’s a cash grab wrapped in the language of “consumer protection,” and given a local flair. Price caps won’t stop demand, either. It will just drive it underground to unregulated marketplaces that offer no consumer protections, have higher rates of fraud and ultimately hurt more fans. 

Ticket transferability isn’t just fair—it saves fans real money. Since 2017, fans have saved over $475 million on the secondary market. One-third of resale tickets were bought below face value—about $30 saved per ticket, enough for a hot dog and a beer.

Mainers are loyal fans. They shouldn’t be punished for real life happening—whether it’s a cold, a kid’s soccer game, or a schedule change.

LD 913 started with the right idea. But now, it’s been twisted into something that does more harm than good. It’s not too late to fix it—or kill it before it hurts the people it was supposed to help.

Contact your Maine lawmaker today, urging them to reject the bill.