Google quietly removes Viagogo ad ban as first-night Elton John fans with scalped tickets are turned away

Campaigners slam Google for its advertising ban backflip on controversial ticket scalping site Viagogo amid fears Aussie music fans will pay a high price for the move.

• Aussie rockers declare war on scalpers
• Court rules Viagogo misled Australian fans

Ticket scalping site Viagogo is back on top of ticket search results for some of the biggest tours about to hit Australia after Google quietly lifted its advertising ban on the reseller last week.

Google put an indefinite global ban on Viagogo from advertising on its platform in July after a long-running campaign by live music promoters and consumer advocacy groups.

But if you now search for tickets to sold-out shows for breakout American pop star Lizzo, British rocker Liam Gallagher or 90s electronic rockers New Order, Viagogo is back to being the first result you get.

Tickets for Lizzo’s sold-out shows in Australia are astronomically high on Viagogo. Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images.

The ad ban prevented Viagogo from buying its way to the top of Google search which led unwitting fans to mistakenly believe they are an official ticket agency.

Elton John’s Australian promoter Michael Chugg said the lifting of the ban was “disgusting”.

Security was forced to turn away about 100 fans holding invalid tickets purchased from Viagogo to the opening Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert in Perth on Saturday.

He expects that figure to increase at each concert as the tour continues for the next three months now Viagogo is back at the top of Google ads.

“About 100 people from 22,000 were turned away which is a big drop in the number of fans caught out with invalid tickets bought from Viagogo but now Google has lifted the ban, it will grow again,” Chugg said.

“Google shouldn’t be taking their money; it’s disgusting.”

Oi, if you buy a Liam Gallagher ticket on Viagogo, you are going to pay a lot! Picture: Supplied / Warner Music Australia

Google responded that: “Any advertiser can appeal a suspension, and if we find that they have made appropriate changes to their account, they may be eligible for reactivation. We still continue to enforce our policies and we will take action against ads or accounts that violate our policies.”

Promoter Michael Gudinski described the move as “an enormous step backwards”.

“I’m incredibly disappointed to hear that Google has done a backflip on their decision to stop Viagogo from advertising,” Gudinski said.

“It surprises me that a company of Google’s reputation would condone a business of Viagogo’s nature. Since Google removed all Viagogo advertising we have seen a notable drop-off in the number of complaints, which shows the measure was effective.

“I can only assume that Google’s decision has been made in their economic interests, however it is an enormous step backwards in the fight against ticket scalping.”

Pop star Lizzo’s show at the Forum in Melbourne in January sold out in mere minutes when it went on sale two weeks ago.

Viagogo results yesterday offered Lizzo tickets originally priced at $89.90 for between $590 and $1723, despite consumer laws in some Australian states which state tickets cannot be offered for resale at a price higher than 10 per cent of face value.

“WARNING – do not be caught out: Ticketmaster is the only authorised ticket seller for this show. Unauthorised ticket onsellers will add significant premiums on to ticket prices and sell non-existent or fraudulent tickets and you will not be able to gain access to the event. For the avoidance of doubt, Viagogo, eBay or Facebook Marketplace are NOT authorised ticket sellers,” the Forum in Melbourne posted on its website.

Tickets to sold-out shows by British electronic band New Order next year are on Viagogo. Picture: Supplied

Original tickets to see former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher perform at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre next week started from $99.90 and were being offered for more than $355 on Viagogo.

Fans desperate to see New Order play at their sold-out concerts at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney or Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne where tickets started at $99 were being offered unofficial Viagogo tickets from $237.

Viagogo is back on Google Ads in Australia despite the fact the Federal Court is yet to hand down its penalty judgment against the Swiss-based reseller after successful action by the ACCC.

The penalty hearing will be held in April next year, with Viagogo facing potential penalties of millions of dollars.

The scalping site was found by the Court in April to have made false or misleading representations and engaged in conduct liable to mislead the public when reselling entertainment, music and live sport event tickets, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.

Yet they were back at the top of Google’s ad business worldwide last week, just after acquiring another resale site StubHub in a deal reportedly worth almost $6 billion.

They remain banned from taking out Google Ads in a small clutch of countries including Japan and Sweden whose regulators remain unsatisfied Viagogo are in compliance with local law.

Originally published as Google quietly removes Viagogo ad ban as first-night Elton John fans with scalped tickets are turned away