Ontario plans to ban ticket resales above face value to curb price gouging

If you've ever tried to buy tickets to see your favourite artist live only to find resale prices in the hundreds (or even thousands) above face value, Ontario may be about to change that, as the province moves to crack down on ticket scalpers and price gouging.

On Friday, the provincial government announced it is introducing proposed amendments to the Ticket Sales Act, 2017, aimed at addressing inflated resale prices and protecting buyers from unfair ticket costs.

Under the proposed changes, it would be illegal for tickets to concerts, sports, cultural, and other live events in the province to be resold for more than their original value.

"We are taking action to help ensure Ontario fans have access to fair resale prices and are not exploited by price gouging when they buy resale tickets for their favourite events," said Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement.

"With these new measures, consumers would no longer need to worry about being ripped-off in the ticket resale market, and more families and fans would have the opportunity to see their favourite band or sports team perform live."

The amendments are expected to be introduced in the coming days, and if passed, would make it illegal for tickets to live events to be resold for more than their original cost, which is the "all-in price originally paid to the primary seller, plus any fees, service charges or applicable taxes charged on the resale."

The government is also proposing to strengthen validity guarantee requirements to avoid the sale of fake tickets.

If enacted, the price cap would apply to all future resales and would apply to anyone reselling a ticket, as well as any platform facilitating those sales.