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Now Aussie lawmakers are also considering a bots ban
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 21 March 2017
As the spotlight falls once again on ticket touting in the UK Parliament today, lawmakers in Australia are also considering a ban on the software used by touts to buy up large quantities of tickets for in-demand events from primary ticketing sites.
As previously reported, last year US Congress passed a law banning the use of so called ticket tout bots, while the UK government has now said it supports inserting a similar specific bots ban into the in-development Digital Economy Bill.
Meanwhile in Australia, the Senate has approved a motion introduced by independent senator Nick Xenophon calling on the country’s government to likewise ban the bots. As in the US, ticket touting regulations usually sit at a state-level in Australia, though – noting moves in the US and the UK – Xenophon says that there should be a country-wide law on the software used by the touts, aka ticket scalpers.
He is quoted by MusicFeeds as saying: “Genuine Australian fans are being unfairly deprived of tickets because ticket scalpers are using automated systems to buy a bulk of tickets when they are released. They’re then on-selling them for massive amounts to those that missed out. It’s a clear cornering of a market that hurts consumers”.
Xenophon’s motion was not backed by the Australian government, but still passed the Senate. The senator is now reportedly drafting possible legislation that will be similar to America’s Better Online Ticket Sales Act.