Concerts

How’s that new Ontario anti-scalper law working? I don’t want to say I told you so, but…

It was only a few weeks ago that the Ontario Government of Doug Ford passed a law outlawing ticket scalping in the province. No resale tickets with prices above the original face value. Welcome to the new Ticket Sales Act! No more gouging!

Many people at the time (including me) said this was a dumb idea because you can’t regulate ticket sellers outside the borders of Ontario. And we were all right.

With the World Cup coming to Toronto for six games starting next month and there’s plenty of scalping going on. The Toronto Star reports that StubHub is offering a $3,000 seat (already insane) for $64,462. That would be more than the face value, right?

A government spokesman promises to have a word with the secondary ticket sellers. He wants to remind them that they could be fined up to $250,000.

Fun Fact: In New York/New Jersey, where the final will be played, seats are going for as much as US$2 million.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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