NAAG Consumer Protection Meeting

The NAAG Consumer Protection Meeting was held May 23-25 in Washington, D.C. As usual, Monday afternoon was the only session open to the private sector. The public session opened with lunch and a welcome by Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, Co-Chair of the NAAG Consumer Protection Committee. Following lunch, there were three sessions during the public portion of the meeting:

Attorneys General Investigations

Representatives from the private sector provided insight into how a company reacts internally to the receipt of a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) or subpoena and the burdens it can place on a small or large company. The panel discussion included suggestions on how Attorneys General offices could work with companies to obtain needed information while limiting the burdens of responding to the formal requests. The discussion also included some insights as to why some CIDs are initially so broad.

Fantasy Sports

Representatives of the Daily Fantasy Sports industry as well as the casino gaming industry discussed the evolving legal landscape of Fantasy Sports betting, and Daily Fantasy Sports in particular. This included the efforts that have been made by attorneys general to interpret their state laws, proposing additional regulations and the legislative efforts taking place in the states to either legalize the practice or to clarify what is and is not allowed.

Online Ticket Sales

Representatives from two of the largest primary and secondary ticket services discussed the evolving world of event ticket sales. They provided the audience with background on how tickets are initially distributed for sale based on the wishes of the venues, performers or teams and how the secondary ticket market works for the promoter, original ticket purchaser/reseller and final purchaser. The continuing problem of bots impacting sales of high demand tickets was discussed, and a number of consumer protection issues were raised by each speaker.

Almost 80 staff from 42 state attorneys general offices were in attendance at this NAAG meeting.