As Hurricanes fans gear up for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, North Carolina's investigation into problems with ticket sales remains active.
Many season ticket holders who were given priority access codes to ticket sales on Ticketmaster reported to WRAL and the state Department of Justice that their access codes didn’t work as intended.
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Some fans reported waiting in a long virtual line only to be kicked out of line and thrown to the back of the queue. By the time they made it back to the portal, many tickets were gone, and they were forced to purchase tickets at much higher prices on the resale market.
Bailey Aldridge, a spokesperson for the NCDOJ, told WRAL that Ticketmaster has responded to the state's inquiry and said it is looking into the attorney general's questions.
Questions remain about bots and presale access
So far, the attorney general's office has received 37 complaints related to Hurricanes ticket sales, including complaints from previous seasons, and four complaints related to FIFA World Cup ticket sales.
According to the NCDOJ, Ticketmaster told the state that some of the issues reported by Hurricanes fans may have been the result of exceptionally high demand for Stanley Cup Final tickets. The company also indicated it plans to provide additional information about how it monitors and responds to bots, a concern raised by fans who reported problems accessing tickets despite having presale codes.
Aldridge said Ticketmaster also told investigators that resale ticket prices operate in a separate marketplace and are often determined by what consumers are willing to pay.
More to come from Ticketmaster
Attorney General Jeff Jackson launched the inquiry after Hurricanes season-ticket holders complained they were unable to purchase tickets during the presale despite receiving priority access. Some fans reported technical issues, long waits in Ticketmaster's virtual queue and being pushed to the back of the line before tickets sold out.
Those fans were often left with only one option: the resale market, where ticket prices were listed at thousands of dollars.
Ticketmaster is expected to provide additional answers to the state's questions in the coming days.