Leadership / 03.07.18

'The Game Is Rigged:' Does BC Have a Price-Gouging Problem When It Comes to Ticket Sales?

Access Staff

Original article published on CBC News (03/07/18) by Malone Mullin

University of Victoria professor Pascal Courty says ticket scalping in British Columbia cannot be understood or resolved without public input, and the Canadian province is currently launching a public consultation on the issue. "The first step is to get a sense of the pain — to see how big the issue is," Courty notes. He says if scalping is indeed hurting consumers, then regulators can work out how to ensure event organizers are holding a "fair lottery" for buyers while limiting the number of resellers supporting secondary ticket markets. Courty suggests event organizers could be authorized to cancel tickets they suspect were sold to scalpers, or launch identity verification to match the original buyer to the person actually showing up on game day. He contends ticket sales are rigged because organizers hold tickets back from consumers and they do not know how many will be sold, forcing desperate fans to buttress the resale market by settling for inflated prices. Another major problem are bots that scoop up tickets in bulk as soon as they go online. However, an Angus Reid survey found half of Canadians believe it is governments' responsibility to intervene to protect consumers, while 80 percent want bots banned completely.

Read the full story on the CBC News website.

Tags: Regulations , News