Leadership / 02.21.18

Ticket Touting Could Be Banned in Ireland by This Summer

Access Staff

Original article published on Irish Mirror (02/21/18) by Edel Hughes

Ireland's Department of Business has accepted a ban on the resale of event tickets by scalpers above face value following a long negotiation process, and the Irish Parliament is expected to discuss the bill in the weeks ahead. Parliament member Noel Rock proposed the legislation and has long been stumping for its introduction. Fianna Fail are reportedly backing the bill, making it one of the first joint Fianna Fail-Fine Gael bills to become law. The ban can only be imposed if the artist performing requests it. "The new business minister [Heather Humphreys] is the third minister in this department since we set the bill forward," Rock says. "She has prioritized this and has made it clear that the government will accept this bill at second stage in the coming weeks, which will mark real progress. I am now confident that by the summer we will have the first legislation passed that regulates the issue of touting in this state." Rock noted earlier this year that his office had been "inundated" with complaints after presale tickets for Britney Spears' upcoming Dublin performance were listed online for about $800 each. "This is an absolute rip-off for fans and I think we need to intervene sooner rather than later; this can't continue," he said.

Read the full story on the Irish Mirror website.

Tags: Reselling , Regulations , News , Secondary Ticketing