Victoria – By eliminating ticket bots and mass-buying software, new ticket buying laws will provide more consumer protections and fairer processes for people for when they buy tickets for events, online or at the ticket booth.
“These changes are going to make our live-event industry in B.C. even better for the people who matter most — the fans,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
The ticket sales act would prohibit ticket buying software/bots that unfairly buy large quantities of live event tickets for resale at inflated prices, before people can purchase them at face value. The proposed changes will also regulate how tickets to live cultural, recreational and sporting events are bought and sold in B.C. — something that was previously regulated only by general consumer-protection laws.
The ticket sales act, if passed, will require:
- clear and prominent disclosure of prices;
- refund guarantees by secondary sellers and secondary ticketing platform operators;
- disclosure of key terms and conditions by primary and secondary sellers;
- ticket resellers to disclose they are secondary sellers;
- prohibition of the sale of speculative tickets that the seller does not possess or control; and
- the ability for civil action to be taken by consumers or ticket selling businesses if they feel they have suffered losses as the result of a contravention of the legislation.
