Ticket touts are still flouting a ban on resales and raking in huge profits with no legal ramifications whatsoever.
In 2021, the Sale of Tickets, Cultural Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events Act came into effect, following significant public angers towards ticket touts.
On The Claire Byrne Show, Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly recalled there was huge public support for the legislation when it was passed by the Oireachtas.
“Fans who wanted to go to, say, U2 at Croke Park, that seemed to be a big turning point, were being outbought by bots and by touts,” she recalled.
“So, there were professionals who could go online, buy up to 20 tickets at a time, sell them on ticket resale sites within a matter of minutes for multiples of face value.
“Because people were desperate to see the act in question, they were paying it.
“After a lot of conversations, a lot of debate, this legislation was brought forward.”
A crowd of people at a music concert. Picture by: Alamy.com.
However, Jess continued that because no one is ever prosecuted for ticket touting, the law amounts to a “whole load of nothing”.
While sites like Ticketmaster have made it as difficult as possible for ticket touts, some people are still able to cash in.
“Last year, around the time the Oasis were playing in Croke Park, I heard and I witnessed in one instance, paper tickets being resold for multiples of face value,” Jess said.
“Because in some instances, some specialist music retailers had access to tickets and were putting them out there to the market.
“They were either giving them to friends and family who were then reselling them.
“I know of one example where a €175 ticket was resold for €500 cash.”
Concert crowd applauding at a music festival. Picture by: Pal Szilagyi Palko / Alamy.
Jess said the problem is a “significant issue” for music fans and urged the authorities to crack down on the practice.
“I think if I could sit down at a computer for a few hours and identify readily available and identifiable touts, you have to wonder why An Garda Síochána, the investigative bodies and, indeed, Ticketmaster aren’t doing that?” she said.
“Make an example of the people that are scalping and that are touting because there is big money at play here – and it’s also the fans who lose out.”
James Wilson
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