Touts who use computer programs to buy large quantities of concert tickets and sell them on for many times their original cost will be facing unlimited fines.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced the measure in a crackdown on secondary ticketing websites, where tickets to popular events are sold on at hugely inflated prices.
The move has got people talking on Twitter. Some people were celebrating the news…
This is us finding out that ticket bots aren't allowed to buy @daddykool727's presale tix for @TheShins @JannusLive https://t.co/L7tJtmLddV pic.twitter.com/DqqpW6QlsD
— Creative Loafing (@cl_music) March 10, 2017
@joshmeatsix thank you for using your public platform & also for putting in hard work to campaign against ticket touts. I salute you so hard pic.twitter.com/8CJC005r1F
— Louise Hickey (@Weezie1611) March 11, 2017
This has to be the best news for gig goers ever: Ticket touts face unlimited fines in government crackdown on bots #ripoff #sonicscouts
— Karl Parsons (@karlparsons) March 11, 2017
… others think the new ban won’t go far enough.
"Proposals will include a new criminal offence for the use of [automatic ticket-buying] bots"
you what?? just make tickets non-transferable— Rufo (@hilare_belloc) March 10, 2017
@bbc5live Secondary sites should ban people from selling their tickets if they are more than face value,then there would be no need for them
— Ian (@powerslave16v) March 11, 2017
@bbc5live Banning a technology never works – new technology emerges. Simple answer – Ban the sale of tickets for more than their face value.
— CW Lynch (@cwlynch_mwm) March 11, 2017
.@ben4bath any idea why they're just banning the tool ? Wouldn't it be better to ban resale of tickets for more than face value ? https://t.co/FLGZWt5IvG
— David Rose (@david_navigator) March 11, 2017
It’s a step in the right direction to bring ticket prices back, we’ll have to wait and see if it works.
