CAPTCHAs are over (in ticketing)

This is a trivially solvable problem with essentially little friction for buyers.

The industry doesn't WANT to solve this. I don't see why anyone believes or entertains the idea they are even trying.

The author builds a ticket system and says it's not trivially solveable. What's your trivial solution then?

Sell tickets using an auction to set the price.

This has huge impact on the friend base. Certainly not trivial

Names on tickets, and an in-application/website transfer+fee process that stops people putting on a mark up.

Revert to the current anonymous ticket process for any lower popularity event for simplicity if required.

I want to go to concert, and going alone is no fun. I've convinced my 3 co-workers. I buy 4 tickets for us.

Situation 1: My co-workers could not get time off work, so I am asking my tennis buddies instead. I am transferring tickets to their names.

Situation 2: I am actually a scalper! I've got paid 10x times the price (via venmo), and I am transferring tickets to those random people.

How do you tell those 2 apart?

Many small venues do this where I'm from and it works like a charm. Even just name on ticket without any further transfer option works well. Not sure if you're going? Don't buy a ticket, more tickets for people who are going for sure.

You don't permit ticket transfers. Instead you sell tickets back to the venue for the price they were bought. Your tennis buddies would better be ready to buy the ticket from the venue 1 second after you sold it back to the venue, else someone else might get it.

Scalpers can't transfer tickets in this system.

I was thinking this, however you "transfer" to the other person, the original buyer gets a refund, and you pay the original ticket price+tx fee, or original buyer pays the fee. Either way.