DUBLIN (CelebrityAccess) — The Republic of Ireland has proposed tough new legislation to crack down on the ticketing market that includes a raft of measures aimed at the secondary market.
The proposed legislation would ban the above-face value resale of tickets for sporting and entertainment events in designated venues with a capacity of 1,000 or over. It would also prohibit the use of bot software to purchase tickets in excess of the number permitted by event organizers.
Venues seeking to be designated would be required to state that their capacity was 1,000 or above and that events in the venue were likely to give rise to significant levels of ticket resale.
The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation would have a reserve power to designate venues for the purposes of the legislation where this would be in the interest of consumers.
The legislation will also ban the unauthorized transfer and use of tickets for football matches and official events taking place in Ireland during the EURO 2020 Championship.
The new measures were proposed by Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation.
“It’s wrong that people who make no contribution to sport or music can profit from the resale of tickets for sell-out matches and shows. In doing so, they deprive genuine fans of the opportunity to attend these events, and the time has come to put a stop to it,” Humphreys said in a press statement.
“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. It is also a tangible example of new politics at work and in that regard, I want to acknowledge the efforts of Deputies Noel Rock and Stephen Donnelly, who have engaged constructively on this matter so we can bring forward workable proposals which will benefit genuine fans. I look forward to continuing to work with both Deputies and our Oireachtas colleagues in progressing this Bill,” Humphreys added.
The new measures will support and amend proposed legislation which had already been brought forward by Fine Gael Dublin North West TD Noel Rock. and Fianna Fáil’s Stephen Donnelly on the issue. Amendments in the new proposal include provisions for the new rules to be applied to venues instead of to specific events, such as concerts or sports events.
