PASADENA : Rose Bowl Ticket Fraud Prompts Federal Action

Pressure from Wisconsin lawmakers seeking a solution to the type of ticket fraud problems that plagued many Badger fans at this year’s Rose Bowl has the Department of Transportation working on changes.

Current regulations forbid charter operators from advertising Super Bowl tours unless fans are guaranteed seats. The federal agency has been urged to amend the rule to include major collegiate sporting events.

Rep. Scott Klug (R-Madison) spearheaded the effort to get the 1980 regulation changed to include college bowl games, the Final Four basketball tournament and possibly the Olympic Games.

“This is a touchdown, a home run and a slam dunk all in one,” Klug said. “These regulations will put the squeeze on all levels to make sure we don’t see a repeat of the Rose Bowl fiasco at other college bowl games.”

Klug said his office has received thousands of calls from irate Wisconsin fans who spent hundreds of dollars to reserve Rose Bowl tickets only to arrive in Pasadena to find their tickets did not exist or had tripled in price. The new rule would require charter operators to have a “substantial number of tickets to games in hand” before advertising package tours.