Ontario MPP Tables Anti-Ticket-Buying Bot Legislation. Will it Pass?
Kudos to Kingston MPP Sophie Kiwala for putting forward a bill in the Ontario legislature that would prohibit the use of bots from elbowing humans out of the way when it came to buying tickets online.
Bill 22–which carries the official name of “The Ticket Speculation Amendment Act (Purchase and Sale Requirements) 2016–wants to (a) outlaw ticket purchasing software that “bypasses security measures on ticket selling websites”; and (b) require the listing of a ticket’s original purchase price when it’s “offered for sale in a print or electronic format.” In other words, making it the law to disclose the face value of any ticket anytime it’s bought or sold.
MPP Kiwala was motivated to introduce this legislation after hearing from constituents, who shared their concerns about secondary ticket sellers purchasing mass quantities of tickets and reselling at skyrocketed prices moments after box offices opened for a concert in Kingston this past summer.
This legislation, if passed, will ensure fair and transparent ticket sales to increase the accessibility of sporting events, museum exhibits, festivals, concerts, theatre productions and much more to all Ontarians.
Yes, this does seek to undo some of the leniency the government previously bestowed on resellers through a previous amendment to the Ticket Speculation Act (1990-2015), but at least they’ve recognized there’s an issue and that something needs to be done about it.
Who in the legislature could possibly be against this? And why? Am I missing something?
Debate on the bill is scheduled for tomorrow (September 29). Let’s see where this goes. (Via Mike at The Drive)
PS: On a semi-related note, Ticketmaster has entered into a partnership with Costco. Here’s what that will look like.
