New South Wales cracks down on ticket reselling

Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) government has rolled out a new law in a bid to eliminate ticket price gouging for events in the state.

The law, which came into effect on the 1 June, states that resale restricted tickets may not be sold for more than the cost of the original ticket. On top of this, resellers may add on transaction costs incurred from the original purchase – which are capped at 10%.

The move hopes to tackle the growing problem of ticket scalpers in the state, who can operate with relative ease thanks to lucrative resale websites. Using computer programs and ‘bot’ technology, scalpers can evade website security measures to buy tickets quickly and in large numbers, for the purpose of selling them on at inflated prices.

“I’m sick and tired of consumers being taken for a ride by shonky operators looking to make a quick buck at the expense of ordinary fans.”

Entertainment venues as well as many of Australia’s major sporting organisations applauded the change.

New legislation protects consumers in this area more than ever before. On top of controlling how tickets may be resold, new rules prevent event organisers from cancelling tickets on the basis that they were resold, providing it was resold in accordance with new laws.

Changes to the law were proposed back in September 2017. At the time, NSW Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said: “I’m sick and tired of consumers being taken for a ride by shonky operators looking to make a quick buck at the expense of ordinary fans.”

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