New powers to tackle rugby ticket touts

Sport’s bosses in talks to outlaw reselling tickets before World Cup cup
Joseph Watts31 May 2013

Police are set to be given new powers to crack down on ticket touts ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England and Wales.

Officials confirmed to the Evening Standard that discussions had begun on passing laws making it illegal to re-sell tickets for the tournament.

Similar rules set in place for the London Olympics saw anyone who sold a ticket without permission facing a £20,000 fine.

London venues Twickenham, Wembley and the Olympic Stadium will all host key matches for the 2015 event.

A spokesman from England Rugby 2015, the body organising the competition, said: “We are in discussions with the [Government] about the possibilities of introducing of legislation regulating the secondary ticket market.

“Tickets will go on sale next year, and we believe there is a strong case for legislation which protects the public, and makes tickets for the tournament as accessible as possible for the people who really want to be there.”

The idea is also backed by the International Rugby Board after it was seen as a success in fighting touts during the Olympics. The Metropolitan Police arrested 220 people for illegally selling tickets.

Meanwhile Scotland Yard also reported how touting and ticket fraud became more complex in 2012.

During the build up to the games the website 2012-londonsummergames.org defrauded over 400 people worldwide amassing over 500,000 Euros.

The site’s owner was arrested in January 2012 and sentenced to four years imprisonment having pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering.

British touts are known to have targeted Rugby World Cups before, at the 2011 event in New Zealand the Met’s records identify 25 UK touts involved in illicit ticket sales

If ministers agree to push ahead with a new law for the 2015 tournament it would have to be written and guided through Parliament within the next year or so.

An official at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “We are in discussions with England Rugby 2015 about ways in which we can help them with ticketing plans.

“We want the tournament to be a fantastic event and leave a real legacy for rugby encouraging more people to get involved in the sport.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in