"I think it's exciting,” said Mike Branch.
If you're like Mike Branch, you've taken a risk, a chance buying game tickets on the sidewalk to cheer for your favorite team.
"Do I want to spend X dollars on the official site or am I going to try to save a buck and if I'm going to try to save a buck, I think for me that's willingly rolling the dice,” he said.
Tampa Police are working to make your odds better proposing a 'Clean Zone' around the stadium from January 1 to January 11, 2017, down Himes Avenue from Columbus to Tampa Bay Boulevard to crack down on anyone selling counterfeit tickets.
"They travel around the country and they go to big events because they know people are desperate,” said Tampa Police Assistant Chief Marc Hamlin.
Assistant Chief Hamlin tells me police saw it during the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Tampa.
"People buy them on the street and they buy them from unknowns and the next thing they know, they're out the money,” said Hamlin.
The City is also cracking down on bootleg merchandise during the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
"We'll make sure that the ticketing and anything being sold is licensed and authentic,” said Dennis Rogero, City of Tampa.
Investigators say if you buy outside the clean zone or online make sure you're doing it from a licensed vendor.
"I want something that's legit,” said Branch.
Rogero says regular Bucs or USF home games will be affected.
