Ont. Ticketmaster law to prevent resale

Ontario has passed a law aimed at stopping U.S. entertainment giant Ticketmaster from selling and reselling the same tickets to the same concert or sporting event.

The Liberal government, supported by the NDP, passed the Ticket Speculation Act, which Attorney General Chris Bentley said will ensure people have fair access to events.

Bentley said people were fed up with trying to buy tickets the minute they go on sale, only to be redirected to another site where prices are much higher.

People complained they were getting ripped off because tickets would appear at inflated prices on TicketsNow, a resale site owned by Ticketmaster, minutes after going on sale on the primary site.

Bentley said the law is not aimed only at Ticketmaster, but the Opposition disagrees, and warns the legislation will not do anything to stop the resale of concert, theatre and sporting tickets at inflated prices.

The Tories note Ontario's existing law banning tickets from being sold above face value is never enforced.

Ticketmaster has, in the past, expressed disappointment with the Ontario legislation, saying it would do nothing to enhance protection for consumers who create and drive the resale market.

It has said the company is committed to a transparent, secure marketplace for tickets, and that TicketsNow is "fuelled by the public's demand for scarce event tickets."