By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is cracking down on professional line-sitters who are hawking Shakespeare in the Park tickets on Craigslist, the Daily News reports.
In an arrangement with Cuomo, Craigslist has agreed to develop a filter banning the ads on their site. The scalpers are waiting on line for up to seven hours for the free tickets and then selling them for up to $125 each on Craigslist.
"Selling tickets that are meant to be free deprives New Yorkers of enjoying the benefits that this taxpayer-supported institution provides," Cuomo told the News.
The deal comes after an upsurge in online scalping, which allows people who have cash to spare to avoid waiting in line for the popular production.
Tickets for the festival can be obtained for free at 1 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, but people often must wait in line for several hours to get them.
One ticket seller said he doesn't see a problem with selling his tickets online.
"It's very popular and a staple of summer in NYC. Also, who wants to wait in line for seven hours for tickets?" the seller wrote in an email to the News. "A lot of people are extremely busy."
