Government approves the drafting of anti-ticket touting legislation

The Government have agreed to the drafting of the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2020 – brought forward by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar today, September 29.

The anti-ticket touting and reselling legislation will ban the resale of tickets to live events, matches and concerts in designated venues, at a price above face value. People found guilty of an offence under the act will face a fine of up to €100,000, or two years imprisonment.

“Touts and reselling websites ruin gigs and matches for everyone making it harder to get a ticket in the first place and driving up prices," Varadkar said. "This is about making sure people aren’t getting ripped off once live events, matches and concerts get up and running again, especially considering numbers are likely to be restricted to begin with.

“There is a specific provision in the Bill for the Euro 2020 championships next year, banning the unauthorised sale of tickets for matches," he continued. "We want to make sure everyone gets a fair shot at getting tickets at face value.

“This legislation is also hopeful. We’re planning for the time when we can go to gigs, festivals and matches again.”

In 2017, former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock and Stephen Donnelly brought forward anti-ticket touting legislation. Taking to Twitter, Rock noted that he was "glad we've got to this point" and "proud to have made a difference".