A man accused of trading in event tickets fraudulently has told jurors some venues and promoters have done little to stop touts buying them in bulk and selling at a high price.
Peter Hunter and David Smith – who traded as Ticket Wiz and BZZ – are accused of using computer bots to harvest and resell large numbers of tickets.
It is claimed the pair used multiple identities to buy £4million of tickets, selling them on secondary ticketing sites, including Viagogo, Get Me In, Stub Hub and Seatwave, for £10.8million.
They are accused of fraudulent trading relating to tickets to see top acts such as Ed Sheeran.
At Leeds Crown Court, Hunter, 51, said venues, promoters and secondary ticketing websites often work in tandem.
He cited Michael Jackson’s planned series of gigs at London’s O2 Arena in 2009 and 2010, saying the star had a partnership with promoter AEG – which owns the lease of the venue – which made Viagogo the “official secondary ticketing partner” for the shows.
This meant tickets were provided to the reseller, which marketed them at £300 to £500 when face value was about £75, Hunter said.
The gigs were eventually axed after the singer’s death.
Hunter and Smith, 56, of London, deny fraudulent trading and possessing an article for fraud. The trial continues.
