- Advice for UFC 305 fans to only buy tickets through the authorised seller
- Sixteen individuals fined $2,000 for Coldplay ticket scalping
A zero-tolerance approach continues to be taken towards ticket scalpers ahead of the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 305 event, as 16 individuals were fined $2,000 each for re-selling tickets to last November’s Coldplay concerts at illegal mark-ups.
Fans hoping to secure tickets to the UFC 305 event to be held at Perth’s RAC Arena on Sunday, 18 August 2024 are urged to only buy through the authorised ticket seller, Ticketek, or its official resale site Ticketek Marketplace, to avoid paying too much or being denied entry. Tickets are now on sale and are expected to sell-out quickly.
The warning comes as new figures reveal infringements of $2,000 each were issued to a total of 16 individuals for reselling tickets to the 18 and 19 November Coldplay concerts held at Optus Stadium for more than 10 per cent over the original ticket price, in breach of Western Australia’s ticket scalping laws.
Mark-ups in these 16 cases ranged from 53 to 507 per cent. In one case, a Queensland woman advertised four package tickets with an original sale price of $1,861 for $4,100 on a classified advertising website.
Courts may impose penalties of up to $20,000 for individuals found to have breached ticket scalping legislation, while even higher penalties of $100,000 can apply to those illegally using ‘bots’ to purchase bulk tickets.
Reports of suspected ticket scalpers reselling tickets for more than a 10 per cent mark-up when a resale restriction applies should be reported to Consumer Protection. More information can be found here.
As stated by Commerce Minister Sue Ellery:
“Let this be a lesson for anyone thinking about reselling tickets to popular events at illegally inflated prices – it will catch up with you.
“Along with investigating reports from the public, Consumer Protection enforcement staff monitor online selling platforms and marketplaces for ticket advertisements that breach the laws and can track down the offenders.
“The 16 infringement notices from the Coldplay events show how seriously we continue to take breaches of WA’s ticket scalping laws, with $2,000 infringements able to be issued, or even higher penalties awaiting those who are taken to court.
“With popular sporting events, like the UFC 305 event, becoming increasingly common on the WA calendar, it’s timely to remind the public about the hazards of buying tickets through unauthorised sources. Not only do they risk paying far more than the tickets are worth, but they could also be turned away at the gate if the tickets are invalid or fake.”
