KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 As consumers continue to grapple with purchasing live event tickets on the secondary market at highly inflated prices, the enactment of anti-scalping legislation in Malaysia is much needed now more than ever.

In April, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching disclosed that concerts have played a key role in reviving Malaysias economy post-pandemic, from ticket sales and accommodation to tourism and international arrivals.

In 2024, a total of 408 concerts were held in Malaysia, an increase of 73 from the previous year; and almost quadrupled from 2022.

The unparalleled growth in the live event industry in recent years has also exacerbated the issue of ticket scalping in the secondary market , depriving fans of a fair shot at getting tickets to their favourite shows.

While the Federal government continues to deliberate on the formulation of such laws, Malay Mail looks at some of the existing legislation on ticket scalping worldwide.

United States

The Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act is a US federal law passed in 2016, designed to combat unfair ticket buying practices in the online ticketing industry.

Enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the law prohibits the circumvention of a ticket issuers security measures or purchasing rules on ticket-selling websites using bots or automated ticket-buying software.

It also bans the resale of tickets knowingly obtained through such means.

Violations of the Act are punishable by civil penalties.

In January 2021, the FTC in collaboration with the US Department of Justice, took action against three New York-based ticket brokers.

The brokers were alleged to have used automated software to purchase over 150,000 tickets for various concerts and sporting events, in turn making millions of dollars by reselling the tickets to fans at higher prices.

The FTC subsequently imposed a combined civil penalty of over US$31 million (RM131.4 million), which was partially suspended due to the defendants inability to pay, resulting in a total payment of US$3.7 million.

United Kingdom

In 2018, the Digital Economy Act passed by UKs Parliament in 2017 was amended to criminalise the act of using digital purchasing software or ticket bots to purchase an excessive number of event tickets for ticket resale.

The amendment comes amid a wider effort by the UK government to crack down on secondary ticketing, where touts use websites to resell seats at in-demand events for vast mark-ups.

Under the law, those caught in violation will face an unlimited fine.

Canada

Despite the absence of federal legislation, several provinces such as Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia have passed regulation namely the Ticket Sales Act prohibiting the use of bots or automated ticket purchasing software to purchase tickets in bulk and reselling them.

Violation of the law can result in significant penalties such as fines and imprisonment as per the law introduced by the Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia provincial governments.