Ireland’s government was reportedly going to back legislation regarding a law that would outlaw ticket resale at any price more than face value, but after a meeting this past weekend, it looks like the proposal will not move forward.
In 2017, the Prohibition of Above-Cost Ticket Touting Bill was introduced, but both primary and secondary ticketing agencies weren’t fond of the idea. Mainly, the Irish politicians questioned how this restrictive price would effect the resale business, since control of prices would just lead customers to buy tickets in nearby countries. However, this ban would ultimately lead to a skewed secondary ticketing market in the country.
Minister for Enterprise Mary Mitchell O’Connor explained that the secondary market’s existence is “crucial” to keep the ticketing business both legal and fair.
“Irish consumers will not be better off either if legislation here causes ticket resale to be diverted to [other European Union] countries that permit it,” she said.
On the other hand, in a survey conducted last year, 9 out of 10 Irish citizens that participated said they wanted the profiteering from the resale of tickets to be banned, Digital Music News reports. Politician Noel Rock, who strongly disagrees with the values of the secondary ticketing market, conducted the ‘Ireland Thinks’ poll. Rock claimed that this law would spark a culture change in the ticketing industry, since those selling with inflated prices will be breaking the law.
According to the Irish Times, the officials at the meeting were stressed about the fact that capping these resale prices wouldn’t necessarily get rid of ticket touting. Additionally, without these resale tickets, fans would be disappointed to not be able to get tickets to an event. Even if the price was capped, these tickets would move on to another market where the price isn’t capped. They also noted that resale sites have consumer protections, while those touting do not. The question of how this would affect tourism was even mentioned.
At this time, there is no forthcoming time frame, so the idea of an anti-touting law being passed isn’t likely at the moment.
