Original article published on Irish Tech News (07/28/18) by Alison McGuire

Consumers are unhappy with the event ticketing process, according to a survey commissioned by Aventus, an open-source blockchain-based ticketing platform. The survey found that 11 percent of millennials had experienced ticket fraud, while nearly one-third of respondents have bought an event ticket from a scalper. In addition, about 89 percent of respondents find hidden fees during the checkout process frustrating, and 81 percent do not believe additional service fees are justified. To protect themselves from excessive prices, more than half of ticket buyers are turning to ticketing platforms, and others are looking to event venues and the government. Meanwhile, advances in technology have spurred an increase of computer programs called "bots." These programs purchase about 60 percent of major event tickets, according to Ticketmaster, then list them at a massive markup on secondary market sites. Although this process has become standard, more than 85 percent of U.S. consumers who have purchased tickets online believe it is unethical. The survey also found that three out of five people have used the secondary market site Stubhub, where bots often list marked-up tickets.

Read the full story on the Irish Tech News website.