NewzTORONTO — SeatGeek Canada is facing two more fines from the Ontario government for allegedly contravening a recent law capping the sale of event tickets at face value. The province’s consumer beware website shows the new fines issued to the ticket resale platform earlier this month total $22,500 collectively. The website says the first of the two fines amounts to $15,000 and is for allegedly making a ticket available for sale or facilitating a sale of a seat beyond the resale price limit.
The second fine is for $7,500 and is for allegedly failing to disclose the total price of a ticket when a seat was purchased from a primary seller. SeatGeek Canada did not immediately respond to questions about what events the fines stem from or whether it will fight the penalties. Giulia Paikin, a spokesperson for the Ontario Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Stephen Crawford, also did not answer questions about the nature of the penalties.
However, she sent a statement that repeated nearly verbatim what the province has previously said about anyone responsible for price cap violations facing fines of up to $250,000. “We will not hesitate to hold bad actors who break the rules accountable,” an email from Paikin said. SeatGeek’s new fines stem from legislation the province implemented earlier this year, after fans complained about resale prices for tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in 2024 and last year’s playoff run by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The legislation was meant to keep people from reselling seats to Ontario events for well beyond face value and tamp down on scalpers profiting off their ability to scoop up tickets to hot concerts and shows. After the legislation came into effect, the province issued $25,000 in fines to SeatGeek in August for similar offences. A $20,000 fine for fellow resale website StubHub Canada followed in September.
When SeatGeek was given its first round of fines, it told The Canadian Press it had notified third-party sellers on its platform about the new law but was still seeking guidance from the province around how to comply with the regulations. The platform argued it is challenging to confirm the original value of tickets because many sellers don’t have access to that information. Sometimes seats have changed hands several times before they wind up on a resale site and if tickets were bought as part of a broader package, li…
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