Fair Ticketing Alliance welcomes moves by the Government to ban bots

· Concerns remain about how these measures will stop ticket harvesting from abroad

· Fair Ticketing Alliance urges Government to learn from US experience

· Alliance holds out hand to help support government implementation of its plans

[LONDON, 23 April 2018] The Fair Ticketing Alliance, which brings together responsible secondary ticket operators, has today welcomed plans by the Government to outlaw automated software to bulk buy tickets for resale on secondary ticketing website platforms. The Alliance has pressed for such measures to be introduced, following the US model, but remains concerned that the proposals will not stop unscrupulous re-sellers from using such software from abroad, circumventing the plans.

Fair Ticketing Alliance chairman, Stephen Lee, said:

“The Fair Ticketing Alliance welcomes plans by the Government to finally outlaw automated software to bulk buy tickets for resale on secondary ticketing website platforms. Our members have been pressing for such measures, but we don’t believe they go far enough to give fans a good and fair deal. In particular, we are concerned that these measures will have little impact on unscrupulous operators who harvest tickets by bots from abroad.

“The Government should study the American legal environment on secondary ticketing closely, particularly that of New York State which leads the market in the US. They’re well ahead of the UK and have already banned bots, not just talked about it. They’ve also introduced a licensing system for responsible operators who have a right to resell tickets like other goods. This – along with tough enforcement – has helped to clean up the industry, prevented responsible re-sellers from moving offshore, and kept jobs and tax revenues in the State.

“We urge the UK Government to follow suit here and learn from the US. We would happily use our knowledge of and experience in the market to work with the Government, regulators, politicians and anyone else interested in getting a better deal for all live entertainment fans.”

The Fair Ticketing Alliance was launched to campaign for a fair, trustworthy and flexible ticket market that works for all live entertainment fans. The Alliance was set up by a group of responsible UK ticket traders representing a cross section of the industry. It comes in the wake of increasing market uncertainty which threatens the future of their mainly small, often family-run, businesses and the valuable service they provide to fans.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

More information about the Fair Ticketing Alliance can be found on its website: www.fairticketing.co.uk or by following us on Twitter: @FairTicketing

Media contact:

Pete Bowyer

press@fairticketing.co.uk

07740 913886