Ban on ticket touting comes into effect
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The reselling of event tickets above face value has been banned under legislation which came into effect over the weekend.
The Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Educational, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 was brought into force on Saturday.
The law bans the resale of tickets to live events, matches and concerts in designated venues and for designated events, at a price above face value, with an exemption for amateur sports clubs and registered charities for fundraising purposes.
Ticket touts will face fines of up to €100,000 or up to two years in prison if they sell music or sports tickets for live events above face value.
Venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more and event organisers who have reason to believe their events will give rise to over-price secondary selling can now apply for designation under the Act.
Tánaiste and enterprise, trade and employment minister Leo Varadkar said: “This is a good day for genuine fans who will now have fairer access to tickets for cultural, entertainment, recreational and sporting events.
“This new law protects against profiteers seeking to unfairly gain from the resale of tickets who do not contribute in any way to benefit those with the talent and skills that the rest of society wish to appreciate at an affordable price.”
Robert Troy, minister of state for trade promotion, digital and company regulation, added: “This is a really positive step forward to protect the interests of real fans. We know demand for live events will increase as society begins to reopen, and while we continue to live with Covid-19, numbers to these events will be limited to protect public health.
“This legislation is necessary to protect fans from being ripped off by ticket touts who would exploit this. Of course, the benefits of this legislation will long outlive the public health measures and this legislation will ensure a fairer market so tickets can go to real fans.”
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