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News October 19, 2017

NSW becomes the first Aussie state to outlaw ticketing bots and scalping

NSW becomes the first Aussie state to outlaw ticketing bots and scalping

We’ve just seen a huge show of support from the NSW Government to its music community with the news that the state’s proposed ticketing reforms have been made law, a step in the right direction when it comes to stopping the ridiculous markups we’re seeing on the resale market.

As the ABC reports, the Fair Trading Amendment (Ticket Scalping and Gift Cards) Bill 2017 has not only banned the use of ticketing bots in the state, but also put a cap on resale prices, meaning that tickets may only be sold for up to 10% more than the original purchase price.

Advertising any tickets over that price will also be prohibited, and the final aspect of the bill allows the government to force event organisers to reveal the number of tickets being made available.

The fines will be significant, with $22,000 for any individuals caught scalping using any of these methods, and $110,000 fines for corporations.

“We will stop the bots,” Matt Kean, Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, told Parliament. “Ordinary sports and live entertainment fans are finding it harder and harder to access tickets. These laws will go a long way towards protecting genuine fans.”

“The legislation puts consumers first and introduces measures to improve information transparency in the primary and secondary markets,” he added. “It will prevent price gouging by dishonest scalpers and ban the use of bots to buy tickets in breach of a website’s terms and conditions.”

The NSW Government isn’t the only one with its eye on the ball, as Victoria has also announced similar plans, with a motion introduced by Nick Xenophon earlier this year passing through to the Senate.

Frontier Touring also recently teamed up with Twickets in an effort to combat scalping of the in-demand Ed Sheeran tickets, while a music venue in the U.K. is introducing a digital ticketing system it claims is “scalper-proof”.

Time will tell which, if any, of these measures will help stem the price gouging.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.

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