Anyone caught could face a fine and/or a 6 months prison sentence.

I never knew ticket touting was illegal.

Immoral - absolutely, Illegal though ?

Since when has it become a crime ?

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13656 - 17/09/2015 09:26:29    1788465

I may be wrong but as I understand it actually selling a ticket at an outrageous price is not illegal but you do need a licence ( which touts don't and won't have) to trade in a public place.I believe Gardai are entitled to demand a licence and if one is not produced they can seize the goods (tickets in this case) being traded.
I wish them well in their efforts, the Gardai that is.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 17/09/2015 10:45:07    1788505

I don't know if it is illegal or not but I saw a group of Wexford lads sort things out in 1996.

A tout was selling tickets for 80 pounds for the hill they were 10 face value. He had them in his coat and they said they wanted to see them before buying. As soon as he revealed the tickets he was 'relieved' of them.

It wasn't right but play with fire, fingers burned.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6530 - 17/09/2015 10:53:36    1788511

Hopefully Slayer no-one tries that on Sunday, though fair play to those lads that took tickets from the tout. Touts nowadays are organised, dangerous and raising cash for other ventures.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8204 - 17/09/2015 12:17:35    1788552

Dont believe it for a minute.The same well known touts are at this "game"for twenty years or more.As usual,they were out in force on All Ire hurling day.Walking up and down O Connell St,especially around the Cathal Brugha St junction.The Buckingham St/Summerhill Jnct & the outside the Sunset House at Ballybough/Nth Circular Jnct.They didnt have a care in the world.Sounds like Garda waffle to me.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 17/09/2015 12:35:46    1788563

From a different website where they were interviewing Gary Devitt - founder of Toutless.com (website for people buying and selling tickets without getting ripped off):

Devitt deplores the absence of regulation from the Irish government; "There is absolutely no effort from the government. If you look at our neighbours in the UK, they have laws and regulations regarding the second-hand sale of tickets, whereas nothing like this exists in Ireland. This is how the touts are able to get away with extortionate prices."

In the United Kingdom, the Fraud Intelligence Bureau deals with these issues. In Ireland, The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation doesn't deal with second hand ticket market.

This leads to a high number of unofficial ticket-reselling websites such as Premiertickets.ie or Needaticket.ie. These websites offer tickets at a higher price than face value. The price of the ticket is driven by supply and demand and some hard-to-get tickets can be sold for twice as much on these websites.

In other countries the law is much more severe with touts. In France, since 2002, it is forbidden to make money by reselling tickets and it is illegal to sell tickets at a higher price than face-value. It's the country with the strongest regulations on the second-hand ticket market in the EU. However, these regulations cannot be entirely enforced, the French police don't have the ability to control every exchange made by individuals.

So it seems that it's not a case that touts can't be dealt with - just that the law/regualtion in Ireland around them is a joke.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 17/09/2015 12:45:15    1788567

waynoI
County: Dublin
and/or a 6 months prison sentence.

Not a hope of jail Wayno when you see some of the clowns they have walking around O Connell street daily.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11730 - 17/09/2015 12:53:40    1788576

Id like to know what the guards would do with any tickets they would take off touts??

Mfs (Mayo) - Posts: 272 - 17/09/2015 12:57:07    1788578

Oh shite what am i going to do with these 10 tickets I've got, highest bidder wins but keep it to yourself.

Yourjoking (USA) - Posts: 745 - 17/09/2015 13:24:01    1788599

Could face a fine! Could go to jail! Two chances of that.
The legal system in this country is riddled with loopholes and any half decent legal representative would have any case thrown out in minutes.

Total joke.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2313 - 17/09/2015 13:43:26    1788612

Surely many of them are getting tickets through season tickets easily purchased online with little or no checks that the season ticket holder is genuine ?

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8204 - 17/09/2015 13:50:39    1788619

Just be careful if you are dealing with these vermin lads.They usually have a couple of minders nearby, I have personal experience of this.

Barnowl94 (Galway) - Posts: 3150 - 17/09/2015 14:07:02    1788629

17/09/2015 09:26:29
waynoI
Anyone caught could face a fine and/or a 6 months prison sentence.
I never knew ticket touting was illegal.
Immoral - absolutely, Illegal though?
Since when has it become a crime?It has been a crime in some jurisdictions but not here. It should be a crime or at least people refused admittance as it doesnt help the sporting organisations. only makes things worse for future events

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 17/09/2015 14:11:47    1788634

People sometimes end up with a ticket that has been touted or put up on the internet for sale, the GAA become of these tickets and cancel
them, the person that buys the ticket is unaware of the background of the ticket and buys it, at face value believing that the ticket is coming from a reliable source. Then proceeds to Croke Park and is refused admission but is offered admission provided he/she pays €80.00 for the exact same seat. The person ends up paying the GAA €160.00 for the seat. I think this is very wrong of the GAA. If the GAA are genuine they should at least give the extra money they received to charity,instead of pretending that they are doing good.

fainleog (Limerick) - Posts: 602 - 17/09/2015 15:22:00    1788666

Are you sure about that fainleog? I thought if a ticket is cancelled it is re-issued with a different barcode and more than likely reassigned? I didn't think someone that bought a touted ticket would still be able to gain entry on the day by just forking out another €80 for the same seat.

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 17/09/2015 15:31:04    1788671

I think anyone who engages with these scumbags need to have a look in the mirror.The rules of supply and demand are at play here.When people are willing to put a fat wad of cash in touts pockets so as to gain entry to Croke Park well,who is worse?The touts,or Joe Public,who knowingly make these runts rich for the day?DO NOT ENGAGE WITH A TOUT!Somehow i have a feeling this will fall on deaf ears,and a few satisfied touts will be seen in Dublin airport on Monday morning for holiday number 10 of the year.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 17/09/2015 15:38:01    1788673

Fair play Fainleog. That's a good idea.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8204 - 17/09/2015 16:07:31    1788687

well said cruderocket --

they are the same faces/tugs at all the All-Irelands and big games. At the Mayo Dublin replay they were openly selling their wares in public, with the Guards in close proximity....


have we ever heard of a tout being arrested....No.!!

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1691 - 17/09/2015 16:12:30    1788693

They're organised crime. The guards are afraid of them.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8204 - 17/09/2015 16:48:28    1788723

cuchulainn35 - A Mayo based reporter had his phone snatched by a kid on a bike before the replay. He dropped his laptop bag not thinking and ran after him shouting....then he realised his laptop was lying on an inner city street...you guessed it when he got back the laptop bag was gone.

A few locals outside their house wandered over and asked him if he was ok and he told them the story....one man said wait there.....went into a house around the corner and pulled out the laptop bag. Fair play to him he knew well which child was stealing stuff.

The grown up#s in the area should punish any younster they know or catch steeling....its the only way to buck them up before they grow into tout selling, laptop stealing low lifes.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11730 - 17/09/2015 16:54:26    1788727