En masse buying of event tickets banned
Consumers trying to get hold of event tickets often don't succeed, or have to dig deep into their pockets. This is the result of ticket resellers buying tickets en masse. They buy the tickets in large numbers and then resell them for a (far) higher price. The new bill submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives is intended to put an end to this.
Buying tickets with bots
Resellers use special software (ticket bots) to buy virtually all the tickets as soon as ticket sales for popular concerts, sports events and theatre performances start. These internet robots have been developed in such a way that they can buy large numbers of tickets and push ahead of others in the online queue. This makes it virtually impossible for consumers to purchase tickets at the original ticket price.
New legislation
According to the bill, resellers may not use software to buy tickets on a large scale. Tickets bought en masse with the help of bots may no longer be resold to consumers from mid‑2022. That way, consumers get a fair chance to buy tickets at the original price.
European rules
These new rules will come into effect at the end of May 2022 at the latest and will apply to the whole of the European Union. The European consumer rules clarify the standards that apply to online traders and providers of online marketplaces. Consumers will be better protected in a rapidly changing digital world from now on.