Mike Florio ,
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Lost in the era of legalized, and normalized, sports betting is the era of legalized, and normalized, ticket scalping.
What used to happen discreetly in the shadows of the stadium now occurs routinely, on websites and apps that make it easy to buy and re-sell tickets. Which makes it easy for fans of a visiting team to take over a given stadium.
49ers fans did it on Sunday at the Superdome.
Longtime Saints reporter and columnist Jeff Duncan tweeted this on Monday morning: “The number of 49ers fans in the Superdome Sunday was shocking . Reminded me of the Lions in 2023 and Bills in 2021. Only comparable turnout takeovers.”
The photo attached to this item was taken during Sunday’s game. Here’s a video of what it looked like outside the stadium.
Some teams have taken steps to ensure that season-ticket holders aren’t simply trying to turn their status into a side hustle, by buying tickets at face value and selling them to the highest bidder.
From the league’s perspective, they just want the tickets to be sold. And if the tickets are resold through a business that pays the NFL for sponsorship, even better. For the home team, however, it can be a problem.
As it was on Sunday for the Saints.
Big Shield combines gambling, pro football, and the mob into a cautionary tale regarding inside information, and the dangers that come from selling it.
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