Associated Press (09/30/19)

Tokyo Olympic organizers are probing the fraudulent purchase of 6,900 tickets worth $1.67 million that were acquired in an online lottery for Japan residents. "We are consulting with the police on this matter, and if there are other cases where unauthorized purchases are suspected, we will deal with those as needed," the organizers announced. They said the tickets were purchased with fraudulent identification, but did not suggest who the perpetrators were. Interest in the Tokyo Olympics has reached record levels, with demand for tickets exceeding supply by at least a factor of 10. Japan passed a law earlier this year to ban ticket scalping, with penalties that include a $9,100 fine, a one-year jail term, or both. However, the law is inapplicable to tickets distributed for free or gifted, or to tickets that lack a purchaser's name. This includes many tickets coming from the International Olympic Committee, the 206 national Olympic committees, or major sponsors.

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