Between his pregame rituals Saturday, business junior Cory Rowe is a man on a mission – to sell his extra ticket to the LSU vs. Florida game.
Unlike many of his counterparts, though, Rowe seems to be a law-abiding seller, offering his $36 ticket for just that, $36.
“I could care less about scalping it for more money,” Rowe said. “I’m not trying to screw anybody over.”
By anybody Rowe meant Florida fans as well; a man wearing a Florida jersey flags him down and happily pays the considerably low price for Rowe’s ticket.
“I was looking for extra tickets before the game, and I got one too many,” Rowe said. “I have seen people sell them for $100 to $200, but I’m just not like that.”
At high-attendance games like this one, reselling tickets can turn into scalping for the highest bidder.
According to Louisiana law, it is illegal to re-sell a ticket to any athletic contest, dance, theatre, concert, circus or other amusement for more than face value. Selling a ticket for more than its worth is called scalping, a violation which can bring a $100 to $500 fine and 30 to 90 days imprisonment, according to ncsl.org.
One professional ticket re-seller, who identified himself only as “Money Maker,” said he has been selling tickets before LSU games for 15 years and has never sold a ticket for more than face value.
“I try to buy them for under the price and then sell them for face value,” Maker said. “It’s a big business. If it helps them because they couldn’t get tickets, money is no object if it comes down to you enjoying yourself.”
Unlike Rowe and Maker, one student said he has sold extra tickets for more than face value on more than one occasion.
“I feel that I’m not ripping anyone off,” said an international trade and finance sophomore who asked to be identified only as Michael. “LSU got the amount they wanted for it and if somebody else is willing to pay more, that should be my business.”
Michael, who said he re-sold a student ticket to the Florida game for $40, was adamant he is not in the wrong.
“I’m just a lowly college student wanting to make a couple of extra bucks,” Michael said. “Especially with all the fees LSU puts on us – I’m just trying to get my technology fee back.”
Scott Lignieres, a sports management senior from Southeastern University in Hammond, walked the tailgates on Dalrymple Drive Saturday in search of two tickets to the game.
Lignieres said he wanted to pay face value but doubted he would find any tickets at those prices.
“They [scalpers] will generally up the price about $10,” Lignieres said. “They just know how to get away with charging more.”
Louisiana State Trooper Nicole Kilgore said state troopers are instructed to call LSUPD and detain the suspected scalper if anyone is discovered scalping a ticket.
“There is no way to tell if someone is charging too much,” Kilgore said. “Sometimes you just get lucky.”
A graphic design senior who asked to be identified only as Otter said he sold four student tickets to the Florida game for $200.
“It’s not like it’s an ethical debate. When somebody wants four tickets and they will pay the money, why not?” Otter said. “If it gives them what they want and they are willing to pay for it, I see no problems.”
Many states around the country prohibit reselling tickets altogether. Some states such as Arizona and New York have exemptions stating ticket resale is legal if the transaction does not take place within a certain distance of the venue.
According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, a bill in the Louisiana Legislature attempting to legalize ticket re-sales at any price was killed this summer. Representatives amended the bill to exclude all NBA, NFL and intercollegiate athletic events.
Otter said his $150 profit helped him pay his bills, and if given the chance, he would scalp again.
“The market right now is extremely high,” Otter said. “And generally it’s not their money I’m taking, it’s their parents.”