Bill to ban dynamic pricing for tickets launched following Oasis controversy

Fianna Fáil politicians are calling for a ban on dynamic pricing models for event tickets, following the major controversy over unexpectedly expensive tickets for Oasis's upcoming Croke Park gigs (August 16 & 17), which went on sale last weekend.

Yesterday afternoon, Senator Timmy Dooley, and TDs Niamh Smyth and Jim O'Callaghan, launched the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) (Amendment) Bill 2024 – to extend the existing act so that it "prohibits the sale of tickets or ticket packages for prices that have been adjusted by primary ticket sellers through the process of dynamic pricing."

“This is a consumer issue," Senator Dooley commented. "This is about protecting consumers from being ripped off by technological practices.

"People attending any event, not just concerts, should be confident that when they are waiting in an online queue to purchase a ticket they will pay the price that was initially advertised. Over the weekend, this was not the case for fans of Oasis. After waiting in an online queue fans were met by ‘in demand’ tickets that were for sale at over €400 each."

He went on to state that "the emerging practice of dynamic pricing must be nipped in the bud before it becomes common practice."

"How long will it be before dynamic pricing becomes commonplace, applying to tickets for everything from All-Ireland finals to smaller gigs?" he continued. "Just because dynamic pricing models can be used, does not mean they should. Fans deserve fairness and transparency, they should not be forced into being ripped off and that is why we are introducing this Bill."

The #Oasis gigs showed fans do not know what they will end up having to pay for tickets through dynamic pricing.

This legislation aims to protect fans from the experience of seeing ‘in demand’ tickets jumping significantly above the asking price that was initially advertised. pic.twitter.com/GzPiuBehgI

— Fianna Fáil (@fiannafailparty) September 5, 2024

The Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act came into effect in 2021, to "promote fairer access to tickets... by prohibiting the sale or advertising for sale of tickets or ticket packages for a price exceeding their original sale price".