Sen. Chuck Schumer teams up with one of Broadway's biggest stars to urge Congress to crack down on cyber scalpers.
"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Schumer are calling on lawmakers to pass a bill that would stop internet scalpers from using computer programs to scoop up Broadway tickets.
Schumer said these programs, known as "bots," help scalpers nab tickets and then resell them on other sites at higher prices.
"Broadway ticket show tickets aren't cheap. But they're within the reach of people. People save and save and save. It's like getting a good box seat at a Yankee game. People can get there — but not if the bots are running the show," the New York senator said at a press conference.
"It's hard to get tickets to anything, but while you're typing in your captcha code, that 'bot' has already got the ticket you're trying to get," Miranda said. "And it's just not fair, and we need to at least begin to level the playing field."
"Hamilton" has been Broadway's hottest ticket since its debut last year, with some seats selling for thousands of dollars.
Schumer said the bill he has put forward would allow internet scalpers to be fined $16,000 if they are caught using "bots."