Senator Timmy Dooley, alongside his Fianna Fáil colleagues Jim O’Callaghan and Niamh Smyth, have launched legislation that would seek to ban 'dynamic pricing' for entertainment, recreational and sporting events
A Fianna Fáil senator has accused Oasis of "scalping fans" and stated that it is them and other bands who are responsible for "ticket-touting" rather than online selling platforms. Senator Timmy Dooley, alongside his Fianna Fáil colleagues Jim O’Callaghan and Niamh Smyth, have launched legislation that would seek to ban "dynamic pricing" for entertainment, recreational and sporting events.
The Bill would extend existing ticket-touting legislation so that it prohibits the sale of tickets or ticket packages for prices that have been adjusted by primary ticket sellers through the process of dynamic pricing.READ MORE: Jack Chambers says 'shameful' religious orders should contribute to redress scheme for abuse survivors It follows anger over tickets for Oasis’ Croke Park gigs next August being sold for upwards of €400 because they were "in demand". Mr Dooley said that the Government introduced ticket-touting legislation but there now appears to be "a wholesale ticket-touting operation". He said that their complaints were not about Ticketmaster, who was selling the tickets, but with Oasis who had overcharged their fans. Asked if Ticketmaster should be broken up, the Clare-based Senator said, "This isn’t about Ticketmaster". He continued: "It is about the primary ticket seller, which is ultimately Oasis or the act or the band. "The irony is not lost on any of us that two working-class lads have decided on this occasion to find the greatest way of scalping the Irish public and perhaps the British public as well. "I think we have a responsibility as legislators to address that. It's down to eradicating the possibility of doing it in the first instance, I don't think it's necessary to get into creating different competitive strains in relation to the sale of tickets, because there's only one product on sale. "We see this as an online ticket-touting operation and all we're doing is extending legislation to address or to prevent ticket touting online." The Fianna Fáil politicians said they have no issue with Oasis or other acts selling their tickets for high prices, like €400 each, as long as they are transparent about the cost upfront. "What we saw with Oasis and a number of other acts, the public were lured into an expectation that a ticket would be on sale, €80, €85, €90," Mr Dooley said. "This marketplace then was created online where hundreds of thousands of people logged on and were kept waiting and waiting. "With that demand in place, the promoters and the primary ticket sellers were able to estimate the demand that was out there and charge what we believe to be exorbitant prices. "I don't know if there were any tickets actually sold for €80, but I've certainly met a lot of people and been contacted by a lot of people who felt that they and their families were lured into this false sense of security that a ticket would be on sale for €80. "That's coupled now with what appears to be a situation where the marketplace was controlled to an extent, because there may be other dates added to the tour, and that would obviously annoy quite a lot of people." Mr Dooley also said that the high price of tickets could impact other smaller venues and acts as the amount of money people have to spend on entertainment will be gone due to the high cost of Oasis tickets. Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
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