Cracking Down on Rip-offs in Secondary Ticket Markets: SPD and Union Call for Transparency and Affordability
Parties seek enhanced safeguards against fraudulent ticket sales on secondary marketplaces, with Union and SPD leading the charge. - EU and SPD Push for Enhanced Measures Against Fraud in Secondary Ticket Sales Markets
Germany's major parties, SPD and CDU, are seeking stronger protections against price gouging and fraud on secondary ticket markets. According to SPD's Johannes Fechner, it's crucial to know who's selling the tickets, the original price, and whether the seller is a commercial or private entity. The parties argue that event organizers should be allowed to set price ceilings to keep live events accessible to all fans.
CDU politician Günter Krings labels the issue a "serious problem," urging for more transparency and clear information obligations for online ticket platforms.
The Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV) revealed that tickets are often resold at up to 1600% of the original price. With an annual secondary market valued at approximately €12 billion, there's a strong consensus that anonymous commercial sellers are taking advantage of both consumers and organizers.
Johannes Everke, BDKV's chief, emphasized the need for a regulatory framework to address these concerns, citing transparency requirements, price cap mechanisms for organizers, and accountability for secondary marketplaces. The proposals also include provisions to prevent deceptive practices on these platforms.
- Secondary Ticket Markets
- SPD
- Johannes Fechner
- Federal Government
- Sports
- Funke Media Group
- Seller
- Price Gouging
- Transparency Requirements
- BDKV
As a part of these efforts, the government is contemplating empowering organizers to enforce price caps and addressing fair market practices. This comes in the wake of a recent antitrust complaint against IOC ticket policies, underlining growing concerns about market abuse. Europe and the U.S. have both taken strides in regulating secondary markets, with Germany's proposals aiming to provide organizers with a unique level of control.
The urgency of these measures is echoed by both SPD's Johannes Fechner and CDU's Günter Krings, who point to systemic consumer harm as a primary concern. The exact implementation details are still under discussion, with potential legislative frameworks including accessibility law reforms (BFSG) serving as a model.
- The government is considering giving event organizers the power to enforce price caps, aiming to curb price gouging on secondary ticket markets.
- SPD's Johannes Fechner and CDU's Günter Krings, among others, are advocating for reforms in the way secondary ticket markets operate, as they believe it is essential to protect consumers from systemic harm.
- Johannes Everke, head of the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry (BDKV), supports these efforts, calling for transparency requirements, price cap mechanisms for organizers, and accountability for secondary marketplaces.
