Irish ticketing legislation ‘fails to deliver for fans’

Ticketing legislation in Ireland has led to an increase in the use of dynamic pricing without bringing promised consumer benefits, new research has indicated.

The Fair Ticketing Alliance (FTA) says Ireland’s anti-resale ticketing law, also known as the Sale of Tickets Act, has driven up prices and reduced consumer’s access to tickets.

According to a survey of Irish adults conducted in February, almost two thirds (65%) agree the law has led to official sellers enacting dynamic pricing, making tickets more expensive.

A total 80% of respondents that had tried to buy tickets tickets in the past year struggled to secure them for major events, with nearly half (49%) saying the process was “very difficult”.

Only one in three (34%) feel the law has made it easier to get tickets, with just one in 12 strongly agreeing it helped.

The FTA is recommending the UK government requires clear, upfront disclosure of all pricing, including dynamic pricing, and opens up the primary market to more ticketing agents before acting on the secondary ticketing market.

The alliance is also suggesting fans should be permitted to resell tickets through a new licensing system.

“Ireland’s ticket ban was meant to help fans, but it’s made things worse. Prices have soared, tickets are harder to get, and fans feel shut out. The UK must not follow Ireland down this dead end,” said FTA Chairman Stephen Lee.

“If we want a fair market, we need transparency, real competition, and flexibility, not more broken promises.”