NSW Government moves towards halting of ticket bots

NSW Fair Trading Minister Matt Kean has pledged to halt ticket scalping technology, outlining plans to ban the use of automated bots to buy large quantities of event and concert tickets, to resell at inflated prices.

In a speech to NSW Fair Trading department staff earlier this week, Minister Kean stated “we need to address these problems because it is fair, because consumers should be safe, and because consumers should not be taken advantage of.

“Profit gougers using computers to buy tickets to concerts or grand-finals, ahead of ordinary fans - and then putting those same tickets online the same day, with a massive mark-up - undermines the public’s confidence that consumers are being put first.”

Minister Kean also spoke to Channel 7 about the NSW Government’s plans, which can be seen in the YouTube video below.

18th July 2017 - WARNING THAT RESOLD AND SCALPED COMMONWEALTH GAMES TICKETS WILL BE CANCELLED

22nd May 2017 - INFLATED TICKET RESALE PRICES IMPACTING CONSUMERS’ DISCRETIONARY ENTERTAINMENT SPENDING 

17th May 2017 - PROMOTERS SLAM EXCLUSIVE WELLINGTON VENUES TICKET DEAL

13th May 2017 - LABOR SHADOW MINISTER SLAMS GOOGLE AND VIAGOGO OVER SALES OF FAKE CONCERT TICKETS

4th May 2017 - LIVE PERFORMANCE AUSTRALIA CALLS FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ‘STOP THE BOTS’

20th April 2017 - CONSUMER NZ INVESTIGATES TICKET RESELLERS

22nd March 2017 - SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION CALLING FOR REFORM OF LAWS AGAINST TICKET SCALPING

9th March 2017 - TICKETMASTER DEFENDS RESALE WEBSITE 

8th March 2017 - CHOICE MAGAZINE ACCUSES TICKET RESALE SITES OF MISLEADING FANS

23rd February 2017 - TICKET RESELLER VIAGOGO HIT BY MULTIPLE SPANISH LEGAL ACTIONS