Ontario has imposed what could be its first penalty against a ticket resale platform under the province’s anti-scalping legislation, as resellers seek to offload tickets to upcoming events like the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to the province’s consumer advisory website, SeatGeek Canada was fined $25,000 in late August, with no other fines listed for ticket vendors, indicating that SeatGeek might be the initial recipient of financial sanctions under the ticket resale law introduced in April.
The fine details reveal that the company was charged $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 allegedly facilitating a transaction without proof of the original price.
Cristian Buzo Tingarov, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Stephen Crawford, declined to provide specifics about the event linked to the fines and whether additional fines would be issued.
“All ticket sellers in Ontario must adhere to our legislation prohibiting ticket resale above face value,” Tingarov stated in an email. “Violators could face fines of up to $250,000 and public disclosure.”
Regarding the fines, SeatGeek’s Vice President of Government Affairs Joe Freeman did not confirm whether the company intends to pay the fines or contest them. While SeatGeek has informed third-party sellers on its platform about the law, Freeman mentioned that the company is seeking guidance from the province on complying with the regulations.
Freeman highlighted the challenge of verifying the original ticket value, especially when sellers like season ticket holders may lack access to that information. StubHub Canada echoed similar sentiments when questioned about TIFF screenings listed on its site.
StubHub argued that the inability to confirm original ticket prices is due to certain tickets, like those sold in packages or lacking price tags, making it difficult to comply with the law without data from the original ticket platform.
The company emphasized the unresolved issues regarding the proof sellers should provide to verify a ticket’s original price and pledged to collaborate with the government to address such concerns.
Some TIFF listings on Vivid Seats appeared to exceed prices reported during member sales. A spot at the premiere of “Fjord” was listed for $933, and a ticket to the debut of “Rapinoe” was priced at $483.
Vivid Seats defended its compliance efforts, stating it is actively engaging with Ontario officials to ensure adherence to the new ticket resale framework.
In the past months, the province notified 27 ticket resale websites, including StubHub and Vivid Seats, about potential non-compliance with the law, warning of follow-up inspections and enforcement actions for lack of cooperation.
StubHub was added to the province’s consumer alert list for alleged non-compliance, while Vivid Seats reported progress in addressing the identified areas of non-compliance, aiming to achieve full compliance with ongoing discussions with provincial authorities.
