Post by tackygurl on Mar 13, 2006 7:50:54 GMT -5
Sunday, March 5, 2006
Derby scalping ban draws ridicule
Punished resellers cite brokerage deal
By Gregory A. Hall
ghall@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal
Maryland resident Miranda Prather lost her tickets to this year's Kentucky Derby almost as fast as a $2 bet on a badly beaten favorite.
Prather and others who have tried to sell their Derby tickets on eBay and had them taken away by Churchill Downs are angry that the track has a sponsorship agreement with a company that scalps hundreds of tickets for the Triple Crown horse race.
"I just find it a little bit ironic that they are coming down so hard on people reselling tickets when they, in fact, themselves, are going through a reseller to start selling some of their tickets," said Prather, of Middletown, Md.
Prather's complaints mirror those of other would-be Derby-goers: Churchill Downs cracks down on individuals for trying to sell their tickets while brokers like the sponsor, TicketCity.com, scalp hundreds of tickets every year.
Churchill Downs suspended promotion of its sponsorship agreement with TicketCity.com last month. TicketCity was never allowed to mark up the tickets in the sponsorship deal, but outside the deal it does sell hundreds of Derby tickets at premium prices. Track officials have said they weren't aware that TicketCity was scalping Derby tickets when they reached the sponsorship agreement.
Churchill Downs track President Steve Sexton said about 1,000 scalped tickets were identified last year through its enforcement efforts.
"We get a blend of all walks of life and all types of tickets," Sexton said. "… I don't think it's confined to the casual reseller."
He declined to discuss details about enforcement efforts.
The TicketCity partnership was a first for the track, which for years has attempted to enforce a no-reselling, no-scalping policy. Kentucky law forbids reselling a ticket for more than face value, and many of the sales take place in states where scalping is legal.
Besides supporting Kentucky's law, Sexton said Churchill Downs wants to protect "the fabric of the Derby" by trying to ensure that guests selected by the track for tickets have a positive experience. The track is concerned that neighboring purchasers of scalped tickets might behave along the lines of an infield crowd.
The ban on reselling is written on the back of the ticket, and those caught trying to do it lose the chance to buy tickets from the track, Sexton said.
TicketCity's Web site recently advertised more than 1,200 reserved-seat Derby tickets at prices between $150 and $4,000. The marked-up seats come from fans and others who turn their tickets over to TicketCity.
Fans who have been caught reselling, like Prather, said they wouldn't have done it if the practice weren't so widespread or had they known track policy.
After receiving an invoice, Prather said she bought six tickets, intending to bring five other people. Not being able to line up people for four of the tickets, which had not been mailed to her, she put them up for auction online.
"Nothing I had signed or read … said you couldn't resell them," said Prather, who grew up in Independence, Ky.
After receiving a letter from Churchill Downs saying that her tickets were being pulled and that she would be banned from buying through it again, she called a track official to appeal. Seeking just two tickets, Prather said that she told the official that she wasn't aware of the policy.
"I was only trying to get back what I invested into those tickets," Prather said.
Sexton said that the invoice does not mention the track's position against reselling. But he said he questions the likelihood of someone reselling seats before they had the tickets in hand.
Dave Kirk, a 48-year-old Chicago resident who grew up in Louisville and was caught several years ago selling extra seats on eBay, concedes he was wrong but doesn't believe the punishment fits.
Several years ago, after friends couldn't go to the Derby as Kirk had expected, he sold his extra tickets on eBay. He said he went ahead after seeing so many others being sold online.
"Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I put everything down," including seat location, he said.
The following year, his family was banned from buying Kentucky Oaks or Derby tickets from the track.
Kirk said he offered to donate the money above the face value of the tickets to a charity and pleaded that he hadn't resold tickets before and wouldn't do it again. But the ban stayed in force, he said.
Kirk said he still attends the Derby but buys from scalpers. Michigan resident Jayne Wagner said that she had no idea that Churchill Downs frowned on scalping until she tried to sell extra seats on eBay.
"I just think that they should not be going after all of us little people out here and taking our tickets away forever … for doing that when they're doing the exact same thing," Wagner said.
Reporter Gregory A. Hall can be reached at (502) 582-4087.
Derby scalping ban draws ridicule
Punished resellers cite brokerage deal
By Gregory A. Hall
ghall@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal
Maryland resident Miranda Prather lost her tickets to this year's Kentucky Derby almost as fast as a $2 bet on a badly beaten favorite.
Prather and others who have tried to sell their Derby tickets on eBay and had them taken away by Churchill Downs are angry that the track has a sponsorship agreement with a company that scalps hundreds of tickets for the Triple Crown horse race.
"I just find it a little bit ironic that they are coming down so hard on people reselling tickets when they, in fact, themselves, are going through a reseller to start selling some of their tickets," said Prather, of Middletown, Md.
Prather's complaints mirror those of other would-be Derby-goers: Churchill Downs cracks down on individuals for trying to sell their tickets while brokers like the sponsor, TicketCity.com, scalp hundreds of tickets every year.
Churchill Downs suspended promotion of its sponsorship agreement with TicketCity.com last month. TicketCity was never allowed to mark up the tickets in the sponsorship deal, but outside the deal it does sell hundreds of Derby tickets at premium prices. Track officials have said they weren't aware that TicketCity was scalping Derby tickets when they reached the sponsorship agreement.
Churchill Downs track President Steve Sexton said about 1,000 scalped tickets were identified last year through its enforcement efforts.
"We get a blend of all walks of life and all types of tickets," Sexton said. "… I don't think it's confined to the casual reseller."
He declined to discuss details about enforcement efforts.
The TicketCity partnership was a first for the track, which for years has attempted to enforce a no-reselling, no-scalping policy. Kentucky law forbids reselling a ticket for more than face value, and many of the sales take place in states where scalping is legal.
Besides supporting Kentucky's law, Sexton said Churchill Downs wants to protect "the fabric of the Derby" by trying to ensure that guests selected by the track for tickets have a positive experience. The track is concerned that neighboring purchasers of scalped tickets might behave along the lines of an infield crowd.
The ban on reselling is written on the back of the ticket, and those caught trying to do it lose the chance to buy tickets from the track, Sexton said.
TicketCity's Web site recently advertised more than 1,200 reserved-seat Derby tickets at prices between $150 and $4,000. The marked-up seats come from fans and others who turn their tickets over to TicketCity.
Fans who have been caught reselling, like Prather, said they wouldn't have done it if the practice weren't so widespread or had they known track policy.
After receiving an invoice, Prather said she bought six tickets, intending to bring five other people. Not being able to line up people for four of the tickets, which had not been mailed to her, she put them up for auction online.
"Nothing I had signed or read … said you couldn't resell them," said Prather, who grew up in Independence, Ky.
After receiving a letter from Churchill Downs saying that her tickets were being pulled and that she would be banned from buying through it again, she called a track official to appeal. Seeking just two tickets, Prather said that she told the official that she wasn't aware of the policy.
"I was only trying to get back what I invested into those tickets," Prather said.
Sexton said that the invoice does not mention the track's position against reselling. But he said he questions the likelihood of someone reselling seats before they had the tickets in hand.
Dave Kirk, a 48-year-old Chicago resident who grew up in Louisville and was caught several years ago selling extra seats on eBay, concedes he was wrong but doesn't believe the punishment fits.
Several years ago, after friends couldn't go to the Derby as Kirk had expected, he sold his extra tickets on eBay. He said he went ahead after seeing so many others being sold online.
"Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I put everything down," including seat location, he said.
The following year, his family was banned from buying Kentucky Oaks or Derby tickets from the track.
Kirk said he offered to donate the money above the face value of the tickets to a charity and pleaded that he hadn't resold tickets before and wouldn't do it again. But the ban stayed in force, he said.
Kirk said he still attends the Derby but buys from scalpers. Michigan resident Jayne Wagner said that she had no idea that Churchill Downs frowned on scalping until she tried to sell extra seats on eBay.
"I just think that they should not be going after all of us little people out here and taking our tickets away forever … for doing that when they're doing the exact same thing," Wagner said.
Reporter Gregory A. Hall can be reached at (502) 582-4087.
