Proponents of a bill to legalize ticket scalping recently approved by the House contend it would be a boon to consumers, but it's hard to see how. The greater beneficiaries would be ticket speculators, companies that sell tickets and performance venues.

Currently it's illegal in South Carolina to sell tickets for more than $1 over cost. As the recent reports on the escalating cost of tickets to the Oprah appearance in North Charleston demonstrated, violations of that law aren't necessarily enforced.

If legislators want to improve the lot of consumers, they would provide tougher penalties for ticket scalping or more resources to police the practice.

Under the proposed bill, a ticket buyer could legally scalp tickets through ticket-selling companies or the sporting and performance venues that are authorized to sell them. They would receive 20 percent of the increased price. Large blocks of tickets could be purchased for speculation, according to The Associated Press. Private ticket scalping would otherwise remain illegal.

The bill does place major penalties on selling counterfeit tickets. That certainly would benefit the consumer. So would simply applying the existing laws designed to restrict ticket scalping, rather than institutionalizing the practice. The Senate should reject the bill.