Adelaide AFL scalpers defiant despite Government crackdown
SCALPERS are continuing to sell footy finals tickets at highly inflated prices despite the Government belatedly springing into action to stop it.
- Online scalpers cashing in on AFL finals tickets frenzy
- Bignell declares Adelaide finals ‘major events’
- Scalping legislation fails to prosecute anyone
- Hello: Time to stop the scalping
SCALPERS are continuing to sell AFL finals tickets at highly inflated prices despite a belated bid by the State Government to stop them.
Online tickets sellers have ignored a declaration the two upcoming games at Adelaide Oval are “major events” and strict anti-scalping legislation now applies.
One Gumtree user, Reece, who was selling three Western Stand tickets to the Adelaide and GWS qualifying final for $195 each — more than double the $95 sale price — told The Advertiser he wouldn’t be taking down his ad.
He insisted the game wasn’t declared a major event and then refused to stop selling his tickets when informed of the government’s new decision.
“You can’t do it backwards,” he said. Tickets are also selling for as much as $230 each on Viagogo.
Under the anti-scalping laws, tickets cannot be sold for a price of more than 10 per cent above their face value once major event status has been declared.
Questions to Sports Minister Leon Bignell about whether specific onsellers flouting those laws would now be fined or whether the declaration would only come into effect after it had been tabled in the Government Gazette went unanswered on Wednesday.
Mr Bignell downplayed the size of South Australia’s scalping problem, despite declaring it a major event shortly after the first batches of tickets went on sale. He said there’s no actual evidence of the ticket prices being paid.
