News Release Protecting Consumers in the Resale Ticket Market November 6, 2014 Ontario Seeking Public Input on Proposed Regulation to Reduce Ticket Fraud Ontario is proposing regulatory changes under the Ticket Speculation Act that would help reduce fraud and give consumers greater confidence in the tickets they are purchasing. In recent years, the selling of tickets online has grown in popularity. However, consumers in the online resale market can be vulnerable to fraud as electronic tickets can be easily reproduced. In an effort to protect consumers from purchasing fraudulent tickets, the proposed changes would create an exemption under the Ticket Speculation Act to: Permit business relationships between ticket sellers and resellers for the purpose of verifying the authenticity of resale tickets. Permit tickets to be resold above face value in circumstances where tickets are verified or have a money back guarantee. Comments may be submitted to the online Regulatory Registry until Dec. 8, 2014. Protecting consumers supports the government's economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people's talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.

QUICK FACTS Ticket fraud is a growing concern in the sports and entertainment industry. Some vendors have reported that at large stadium events there is an average of 50 to 60 instances of invalid tickets.

LEARN MORE Read about the proposal on the Regulatory Registry.

QUOTES "We know that buying resold tickets online can be risky. Often event-goers don’t find out that the tickets they’ve purchased are fraudulent until they arrive at the front gates. That’s why we are taking action to strengthen consumer protections in Ontario. We’ve heard from industry representatives on the proposed regulation, and now we want to hear from Ontarians."  — Madeleine Meilleur, Attorney General

CONTACTS Christine Burke Minister’s Office 416-326-3266 Brendan Crawley Communications Branch 416-326-2210