Industry News

Ireland set to bring in ‘ambitious’ ticketing bill

The cabinet of the Republic of Ireland’s government has agreed to support a bill that will ban tickets being sold at more than their face value for sporting or entertainment events.

Business Minister Heather Humphreys (pictured) told the Irish Examiner that the cabinet had agreed to back the bill that had been put forward by Fine Gael TD Noel Rock and Fianna Fáil TD Stephen Donnelly, with some amendments.

Rock described the legislation as “ambitious and sensible” and said it would enable Ireland to “take the lead” in this area.

“I have no doubt that for sports and music fans, this legislation will be a game changer,” he said. “It’s now my ambition that, should this bill be passed by the Dáil and become law in Ireland, we see other nations across Europe replicating it.”

The ban would apply to tickets for events that are taking place at venues with capacities of at least 1,000.

Under the bill, so-called ‘bot’ software, which snaps up tickets in bulk and resells them at inflated prices, would also be outlawed.

StubHub responded to the news by saying: “Legislation to regulate the selling price of tickets bears the risk of driving ticket sellers away from sites that offer the buyer a safe transaction.

“If the proposed legislation is enacted, fans who value the choice, flexibility, and security offered by digital marketplaces could end up buying tickets through channels that offer no security or guarantees.

“We hope that any amendments to the bill will reflect the issues that would affect both the market and fans.”

However, despite its reservations, StubHub said that it welcomed the proposal to block the use of bots.

“The company also advocates for greater transparency around the number of tickets that are actually available to the public for live events from the outset,” StubHub said.

Humphreys added: “I am confident that this bill will have the support of the main sporting bodies, of many artists and promoters in the entertainment industry, and of music and sports fans right across the country.”

Image: Ucdlibrary 

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