So, I was looking at how I could submit an application to get randomly accepted to buy Final Four tickets for 2008. I know it’s early for next year’s season already, but the deadline to enter is in May. While going through the process, I found something very odd and disturbing.

The process for the application works like this: You can submit an application for up to two tickets, 10 times. For each time you submit an application you pay a $5 non-refundable fee. You can select seats at either $170 or $140 per ticket for all three games (not a bad price at about $55 per game). So, when you get to the page to enter in your seat choice, number of tickets, and the number of applications you want to submit, a total price is calculated real-time for you.

Now, the site says that they will charge you up front for the amount calculated for the total amount and refund you the difference (if you are not selected or get selected for the lower valued seats) after the drawing in July.

So, in my mind I was thinking I would put in 10 applications (at $5 each), for 2 tickets of the best seats (at $170 each) for a total of $390. But, when I filled out the form the total price came to be $3450. I thought it might just be an incorrect calculation, but when I looked into it, they would really charge that amount and then refund $3060 if I won the two tickets in July.

Wondering why they would do it this way, I finally found this explanation:

Why am I required to pay for all entries at the time of application?

The NCAA’s experience with the drawing suggests that if applicants were not required to pay for each entry, nearly everyone would enter the drawing the maximum number of times, thereby reducing the advantage one might gain by entering multiple times. The alternative would be to eliminate the current opportunity that provides for an applicant to enter the drawing more than once. Although the NCAA has considered the latter option, the general sense is that the public appreciates the opportunity to increase their chances by entering multiple times on one application.

Does this make any sense? I am not a lawyer, but this seems like some sort of discrimination. They are basically saying that they believe everyone who has a few thousand dollars extra to spare for a few months deserve more of a chance than those who don’t. I don’t buy the argument that this is to fight scalpers either. Real scalping operations have large budgets, with multiple identities and credit cards to facilitate purchases like this.

By the way, they also state that they keep the interest they make by holding your money.

What do you think?