Ticket scalping comes to a head

Not so fast.

The NCAA, tired of third-party brokers siphoning off money by reselling tournament tickets, is threatening to blacklist fans who are caught scalping tickets anywhere other than RazorGator.com, the NCAA's official ticket reseller.

And the NCAA isn't alone. Sports leagues, college teams, concert promoters and entertainers are all trying to control -- and profit from -- the booming ticket resale market.

"This is the hottest-button topic right now in the live entertainment world," said Jim Guerinot, the manager for Gwen Stefani, Nine Inch Nails and the Offspring. "No question, millions and millions of dollars are going to third parties with no financial investment in the venue, the artist or the promoter. And everyone's jockeying to assert their interests."

Last summer, rock star Tom Petty voided a reported 1,400 fan club concert tickets that fell into the hands of scalpers. The NFL's New England Patriots have filed a lawsuit against season-ticket holders who scalped seats online.

And, in February, the NBA signed industry giant Ticketmaster as its "official" ticket reseller so teams can try to get a share of the profit generated when hot basketball tickets are resold.

The ticket police are out in force because of the burgeoning ticket-resale business. The value of tickets resold online and elsewhere in 2006 is estimated at $2 billion to $10 billion -- the wide range a result of the difficulty of tracking what amounts to fan-to-fan sales.

The NCAA deal with Los Angeles-based RazorGator Experiences blurred a long-standing line between ticket issuers and scalpers.

"Now everyone is trying to figure out a way to capture this market," said Gary Adler, an attorney who represents the National Assn. of Ticket Brokers.

For proof, look online, where myriad ticket-resale websites are awash in offerings:

A courtside seat for Sunday's Lakers-Dallas Mavericks game at Staples Center is $5,001. A front-row seat at Staples for the Police reunion tour in June is offered for $3,050. And for last month's Super Bowl, $600 and $700 face value tickets sold for $3,000 to $5,000 each.