Ticket touts will be banned today when Cabinet approves a new Bill outlawing reselling passes above cost price.
And any of the rogue sellers caught after the laws are brought in will be hit with fines of up to €100,000 or face up to two years in prison.
The new Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill is being brought by the Tanaiste and is expected to gain widespread support from all Cabinet colleagues.
Leo Varadkar is a fan of big gigs himself, with nights out at Kylie Minogue and Cher concerts highlights on his social calendar in the year before COVID.
The Bill follows similar proposed legislation brought in recent years by former Fine Gael TD, Noel Rock, and current Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, when he was a backbencher.
Mr Varadkar previously said: “Ticket touts rip us all off, driving up prices and making it harder to get a ticket in the first place.
“This new law will ban the resale of tickets to large events and venues at a cost over face value, making sure everyone gets a fair price.”
Once enacted, operators of venues with a capacity to hold 1,000 people or more will be able to apply to Minister Varadkar’s department for designation of that venue.
When designated, reselling of tickets above the original sales price for that venue will be prohibited.
The legislation also provides that event organisers or venue operators may apply for the designation of events which take place on an annual or other periodic basis in the same venue.
When a ticket is sold for an event which has been designated, or which is to take place in a designated venue, then the original seller must be given clear information [with the ticket and when advertising] that tickets cannot be resold above face value for the event in question.
Resellers of these tickets must also provide information on the original sale price and the location of the seat or standing area to which the ticket entitles the holder to gain admission.
The Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Bill 2021 is expected to be approved by Government today and will be published later this week.
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