<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When the Cavaliers decided to improve their ticket operation this season, they researched the history of the ticket and found that in 500 B.C., stones were used for admission to the Acropolis.But they found no evidence of a guy in a toga on the corner asking, "Who needs two?"For years, ticket brokers or scalpers have controlled the reselling of sports tickets. Now, in an attempt to take back their ticket market, the Cavs are eliminating paper tickets for some season-ticket holders. They are apparently the first sports or entertainment entity to go ticketless."It's not every day that you have an opportunity to participate in something that can change the way an industry does business," said Chad Estis, the Cavs' executive vice president and chief marketing officer.The team's new "Flash Seats" technology - which Cavs owner Dan Gilbert owns and could sell to other teams - aims to control the resale of tickets and make it easier for season-ticket holders to transfer tickets. Along the way, the Cavs - not the scalpers - will profit on the resale of tickets.Admission to The Q will be gained by electronically matching a ticket holder's ID - either a driver's license or credit card - to the one on the Flash Seats account.So far, the project involves only season-ticket holders, though down the road, the arena may go the route of the airlines, which have largely abandoned paper tickets for e-tickets. About one-third of Cavs season-ticket holders have accepted the team's offer of a 10 percent discount on playoff tickets in return for receiving their season tickets electronically through Flash Seats.Estis said season-ticket holders in the Flash Seats program will benefit from having designated gates, like frequent-flier gates at the airport. Fans who are not season-ticket holders can sign up for a Flash Seats account and can buy - for a 20 percent fee - previously unavailable seats or seats for sold-out games. Estis says the fee is in line with the handling and shipping fees charged by TicketExchange, StubHub and the like.</div> Pretty cool. We'll see if more teams, or even the rest of the League adopts this idea.
<span style="font-family:Book Antiqua">What's the link for this article? You always have to supply a link for articles.Anyway, it seems like a great idea. The NBA will grow more advanced if Dan Gilbert sells the product to the rest of the league. Technology is in the new age, as well as basketball.</span>
