Across the United States, there's a crazy quilt of laws that govern where ticket brokers can set up shop and scalpers can hawk their wares.
A look outside any sports event will show that scalping goes on everywhere there's entertainment. But generally, professional brokers operate openly only where the laws are less stringent.
Georgia is one of five states that outlaw ticket scalping outright. Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota and Michigan all think Georgia has the right idea.
In most other states, it's perfectly legal to resell tickets for sporting events, concerts and theatrical shows for a huge profit. Twenty-nine states have no prohibition against scalping, although some cities may enact their own ordinances.
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Texas, for example, has no state law prohibiting ticket-brokering. But San Antonio, where the 1998 NCAA Final Four was held, does.
During the basketball tournament, dozens of scalpers were arrested for violations of the city's ordinance against peddling without a permit and peddling in ``clean zones,'' the areas around coliseums such as the Alamodome. Scalping in San Antonio is a misdemeanor, punished by a fine of $1,000 to $2,000.
One scalper arrested there was just back from Nagano, Japan, where he made $40,000 selling Olympic tickets, said Floyd Akers, San Antonio's assistant city attorney. Another was a North Carolina doctor who tried to get rid of his Final Four tickets after the University of North Carolina lost in the semifinal.
Twelve states and the District of Columbia limit profits on resale of tickets or restrict where they can be sold. Four more states legislate the type of tickets that can be scalped. New Mexico outlawed ticket-scalping for NCAA events in its bid to get a basketball tournament in Albuquerque.
In South Carolina, brokers may make only $1 profit on tickets they sell, but other states allow more. Brokers in Rhode Island and New York may charge 10 percent above face value for their tickets.
Arizona, Delaware, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia all prohibit brokers from selling in certain places, generally outside event venues or on the street.
Even in states where ticket brokering is allowed, law enforcement officials still have problems making sure everything's above board.
The New York attorney general's office is preparing to prosecute two people in an investigation of box-office corruption. The state has been investigating reports that some brokers bribed box-office employees to hold back tickets from the public.
``All you really want to do is ensure everyone has equal access to the tickets,'' said Andrew Candell, New York's assistant attorney general.
Staff Writers Trey Reeves, Albert Ross and Linda Grijalva contributed to this article.
Georgia one of just five states that have outlawed scalping 
