Perth Now (11/24/18) Spagnolo, Joe

Proposed new laws would criminalize ticket scalping for sporting events and concerts in Western Australia (WA), with the Ticket Scalping Bill 2018 to be unveiled in Parliament this week. The legislation would ban anyone from advertising and reselling tickets for more than 10 percent above face value, with individual and corporate violators incurring maximum penalties of $20,000 and $100,000, respectively. The statutes also will prohibit the use of software to bypass security measures on ticket-selling websites. The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation, and Safety will monitor ticket resale websites for violations, with enforcement administered by the Commissioner for Consumer Protection. “Our legislation goes further [than the Victorian state government] in that it will capture a broad number of events where organizers have put a restriction on the reselling of tickets—not just declared events,” said Commerce and Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston. “[The new laws] will apply to most outdoor concerts, most of the events at RAC Arena, and the large events like AFL matches at Optus Stadium. This is to protect those large events that are often sold out.” Johnston also noted WA is working with the Federal Government to combat scalping bots that buy tickets in bulk.

Read the full article on the Perth Now website.