Ontario passes law to ban scalper bots, strengthen ticket laws
TORONTO — Scalper bots are now banned in Ontario, as a bill to protect ticket buyers passed Wednesday, though the ticket industry warns some parts of the legislation may actually put fans at a disadvantage.
The provisions in a new Ticket Sales Act are contained in omnibus consumer protection legislation that also includes strengthening rules around home warranties, real estate practices and travel services in Ontario.
Changes to ticket selling laws include banning so-called scalper bots, which buy a large number of tickets online for an event and then resell them at a large profit.
The ticket sales and events industry largely welcomed the ban, with Ticketmaster, a major ticket seller, saying it is in an “arms race” to develop new tools to combat the bots. In North America the company blocked five billion bots last year, an executive told the legislative committee considering the bill last month.