How much would you pay?

Bill to legalize ticket scalping on its way to governor

"A bill that would allow ticket scalping in Minnesota is on its way to Gov Pawlenty. The governor says he'll sign the bill into law. The measure lifts the current state ban on selling tickets above face value. The Minnesota House overwhelmingly passed the legislation Wednesday. Critics of the measure say it will only lead to higher ticket prices."

Ok, I have mixed feelings on this. There are some nice benefits but possible drawbacks as well.

It may very well drive resold ticket prices down with increased competition. Places like TicketKing won't have as much of a monopoly on the market. However, with increased competition also comes reduced quantity of general tickets. I'm not sure what limits are currently put on ticket brokers wanting to buy tickets but I know TicketKing always seems to have big pile of extra tickets, even when the general sales are sold out. For example, let's say brokers are allowed 500 tickets for each sporting event. Well with 1 or 2 brokers this doesn't seem excessive but with 10 legal brokers you may find yourself always paying "market value" rather than "face value"

Now, scalping is certainly nothing new. Sites like eBay and Craigslist have been doing this for years and the capitalist in me likes the idea of turning anything into a business but the sports fan in me likes to think about taking my family to the ballpark for < $100

What are your thoughts?