Ontario has imposed a potential initial penalty on a ticket resale platform under the province’s anti-scalping legislation, as resellers seek to offload tickets for upcoming events like the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to the province’s consumer-alert website, SeatGeek Canada was fined $25,000 in late August, marking the absence of fines for other ticket sellers, indicating that SeatGeek may be the first entity facing financial consequences under the ticket resale law enacted in April.
The details of the penalty reveal that the company was fined $10,000 for allegedly selling a ticket above its face value, $5,000 for failing to disclose the original ticket purchase price, and another $10,000 for purportedly facilitating a transaction without providing proof of the initial price.
In response to queries about the fines’ association with a specific event and potential future penalties, Cristian Buzo Tingarov, a representative for Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Stephen Crawford, did not provide information.
“All ticket vendors in Ontario are obligated to adhere to the legislation prohibiting ticket resale above face value,” stated Tingarov in an email, emphasizing that violators could face fines up to $250,000 and public disclosure.
Regarding the payment of fines or contesting them, Joe Freeman, SeatGeek’s vice president of government affairs, did not clarify the company’s intentions. While SeatGeek has alerted third-party sellers about the law, Freeman highlighted the challenges in complying with regulations due to the difficulty in verifying the original ticket value, especially for sellers without access to such information.
Similarly, StubHub Canada raised similar concerns regarding Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) ticket listings on its platform, citing the lack of pricing information for tickets purchased as part of a package or the potential alteration of receipts by resellers.
In light of the ongoing dialogue with Ontario officials to ensure compliance with the new ticket resale framework, Vivid Seats’ spokesperson Julia Young refuted claims of non-compliance, stressing the company’s efforts to align with the province’s regulations.
The province had previously notified 27 ticket resale websites, including StubHub and Vivid Seats, of impending inspections for compliance with the law. While StubHub was later added to the consumer alert list for alleged non-compliance, Vivid Seats indicated significant progress in rectifying identified areas of non-compliance and expected full compliance soon, pending ongoing discussions with provincial authorities.