Online ticketing platforms are experiencing an alarming rise in fraudulent activity that creates serious consequences for performing arts organizations and legitimate ticket buyers. In 2019, bots – small pieces of software that automatically purchase tickets without human input – accounted for just under 40% of tickets purchased online. In 2025, that number is estimated to be as high as 96%.
To be clear, these distressing numbers apply to the global ticketing industry, but the issue doesn’t only apply to Taylor Swift or Broadway theatres. Digital fraud is present and on the rise at every level of the online ticketing space, and performing arts organizations of all sizes are increasingly reporting instances of bot traffic and other forms of abuse that result in lost money, inventory, and time. This presents an even greater risk to small organizations such as K-12 schools, universities, and community theatres, who already face significant budget restraints that may prevent them from absorbing losses that result from fraudulent activity.
If your organization sells tickets online, chances are the company that you use to process your credit card payments already provides a baseline level of protection. While those protections are valuable, On The Stage (OTS) has always been committed to delivering the most secure ticketing platform we can in order to protect our customers and their patrons from digital fraud, which is why we’ve invested in additional proprietary layers of security that block 10X more threats compared to similar ticketing platforms*. (More on that below). We are proud of those results, and that our customers have long enjoyed this advanced level of security that is exclusively offered by OTS.
While we are proud that our secure ticketing platform results in 10X less fraud than other platforms, we are always looking for opportunities to provide our customers even more protection. That’s why we created OTS Payments, a new service that builds on our existing security while also streamlining your payment processing, payouts, and reporting.
With OTS Payments, we handle payment processing on your organization’s behalf, which means that you’re never on the hook for credit card chargebacks or disputes. This applies to the very rare instances where fraud may occur, and to chargebacks initiated by your patrons via their bank. OTS assumes that responsibility on your behalf at no additional cost, meaning your organization will never be financially liable for any of those charges.
OTS Payments also eliminates the need to maintain your own Stripe account, making your overall experience faster and easier than ever.
OTS and our customers use Stripe to process credit card payments, and Stripe provides a basic level of security to all customers that is relatively effective at combating online fraud and abuse. OTS is able to achieve a level of security 10X higher than the industry average by adding several additional layers of protection that include:
If you’re a current OTS customer, simply reach out to your account manager to get started using OTS Payments. It is quick and easy to get started, and there are no additional costs to you.
In order to provide the highest level of security and convenience, all new customers will automatically be enrolled in OTS Payments. If you aren’t an OTS customer and are interested in learning more about how our platform for the performing arts can help your organization to sell tickets, promote your events, manage your patrons, and raise money, book a demo today.
*Based on Stripe benchmarks for online ticketing platforms