A new piece of legislation in Scotland would see ticket touts fined up to £5,000 ($6,175/€5,636) if caught reselling Euro 2020 passes.
The UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill would criminalise touting for profit, either in person, on the secondary market or privately.
Four Euro 2020 games will be played at Hampden Park next June, with Glasgow being one of the 12 host cities for the pan-European national team competition.
Europe Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Glasgow has become one of the world’s top cities for major sporting events, and EURO 2020 will build on the success of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the European Championships last year.
“As well as bringing thousands of people into the city and increasing trade for shops, restaurants and hotels, these tournaments help showcase Scotland as an outward-looking, welcoming nation.
“The Scottish Government is determined to support fair access to tickets so that as many fans as possible can enjoy the matches, which is why we’re making touting a criminal offence. This will help ensure that EURO 2020 tickets are not sold at vastly inflated prices.”
An estimated 200,000 people are expected to descend on the Scottish city for the tournament, with the first round of tickets already allocated through a random ballot following a record-breaking 19.3 million ticket requests.
Fans who secure tickets and can no longer attend will be given the option to re-sell their tickets through the official UEFA platform. Ticket resale details will be announced in spring 2020.
Councillor David McDonald, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council and chair of Glasgow Life, said: “Glasgow has a fantastic reputation for hosting spectacular major sporting events, and for exceeding expectations whilst also setting new high standards for championships and competitions across the globe.
“We achieved our title as one of the top five sporting cities in the world by consistently punching above our weight in the sporting world – and that has included prioritising spectators to our events, ensuring fans and visitors to the city have an enjoyable experience.
“The UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill will allow us to make sure as many people as possible can get to the four EURO 2020 matches at Hampden, and without overpaying touts attempting to gain from reselling tickets.”
Image: Pommes104
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