TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan has recently amended the "Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act," introducing stricter penalties for ticket scalpers. The amendments aim to combat the use of bots and other software tools employed by scalpers to manipulate ticket-selling systems.
Offenders caught doing so could face up to NT＄3 million in fines and/or a maximum prison sentence of 3 years. Following the resumption of large gatherings and concerts after a nearly 4-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in sold-out shows has led to numerous complaints from disappointed fans.
Many concertgoers discovered that tickets, initially unavailable to them, reappeared on third-party websites at exorbitant prices, often reaching ten times the original value. Last year, Blackpink's Kaohsiung March concert tickets sold out within 4 minutes. Approximately 200,000 fans were competing for only 45,000 tickets each day.
Scalpers targeted devoted fans who were unable to secure tickets during the initial sale, reselling them at significantly inflated prices. The original retail prices for these tickets ranged between NT＄2,300 and NT＄8,800, but unscrupulous scalpers listed them online for prices as high as NT＄400,000.
Reports from attendees of Blackpink's 2019 Taipei concert indicated that despite the venue's capacity to accommodate up to 15,000 people, only 60% showed up that day, suggesting scalpers' impact on actual attendance figures. Culture Minister Shih Che responded to the incident by investigating the matter.
Shih is also considering implementing a name-based ticket purchase registration system as a preventive measure against scalping. Moreover, the Minister urged the public to refrain from purchasing tickets from scalpers, emphasizing that reducing demand would directly affect the supply of scalped tickets.
Government officials are now looking to Japan, where concert organizers have set up a platform allowing ticket holders with a sudden change of plans to sell their tickets at reasonable prices, as a potential reference for addressing scalping issues.
To discourage scalping activities, Taiwan's latest legal amendments incentivize reporting scalpers. Informants may receive up to 20 percent of the fines imposed on violators or a reward of NT＄100,000. With the strengthened penalties, scalpers may pay a higher price for their illicit gains, potentially surpassing their profits.