ADVISORY/Super Bowl XXXVIII Tickets Luminesce to Battle Fraud; How to Know if Your Ticket is Real.

Sports Editors/Business Editors

ADVISORY...

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

As fans gather for the world's most anticipated sporting event, ticket fraud is a major concern. Every year, unsuspecting would-be spectators pay thousands of dollars to cheer on their team, only to be turned away at the stadium gates with counterfeit tickets. To help prevent fraud, the NFL every year incorporates new technologies into the ticket to protect fans from the disappointment of buying counterfeits. This year, the tickets feature a new, never-before-seen "night luminescent photographic paper" from a company called Brightec.

As about 700 Sugar Bowl fans found out the hard way earlier this month, the risk of spending hard-earned cash for a fake ticket is very real. At all major events, stadium workers know right away if a ticket is legitimate. However, for the Super Bowl, fans can protect themselves from being scammed when they buy a ticket by following a few key steps.

The theme picture of downtown Houston, which dominates the top half of the ticket, is printed on Brightec's patented new medium. As a result, the ticket looks completely normal in the daylight but comes to life in dark. The ticket shines through in full detail, with a brightness and clarity that is not possible with any other "glow-in-the-dark" material.

To ensure that the tickets are legitimate, before purchasing:

-- See the ticket in-person before money is exchanged;

-- Make sure that the ticket has a full-color, high-quality image

of downtown Houston;

-- Expose the ticket to light for a few minutes, allowing it to

"charge";

-- Place the ticket in darkened conditions (e.g., turn off the

room lights, cup hands over the logo, etc.);

-- Make sure that the image of Houston luminesces brightly and

clearly in the dark, with all of the details shining through;

-- Ideally, wait at least fifteen minutes and check to ensure

that the image is still bright.

Because Brightec's night luminescent paper has not been released to anyone but the NFL, only real Super Bowl tickets will have this effect. However, after the Super Bowl, Brightec paper will be available through Staples stores nationwide.