Selling World Cup tickets for more than face value could get you a $25,000 fine
And that goes for FIFA’s resale platform, too, according to the premier
The Ford government isn’t making things easy for World Cup scalpers.
In light of recent legislation that makes it illegal for tickets in Ontario to be resold at more than face value, the provincial government has announced new enforcement measures to be taken against anyone trying to make money on World Cup seats.
As of June 10, which is two days before Toronto’s first World Cup match, individuals or businesses caught inflating resale ticket prices for more than face value will be fined up to $25,000, a steep jump from the previously set $10,000 fine.
Related: Toronto police have seized $3.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise ahead of the World Cup
“I have no problem with companies making a profit. I have a problem with monopolies and gouging the average citizen that can’t bring their kids to a game,” Premier Doug Ford told reporters yesterday. “It is unfortunate that it has gotten to this point.”
Asked by a reporter who flagged that some fans have claimed to see FIFA itself allowing tickets to be resold for more than face value on its resale platform, Ford said the organization overseeing the World Cup should also be accountable to provincial laws.
“If they are breaking rules, then they are going to hear from us. It is as simple as that,” the premier said. “They can dictate the cost of the game. I have no problem with that. If one game is more important than another and they put up the prices, that is the market. But if there is a face value on the ticket and they are selling it for a lot more, they are going to hear from us. They are not exempt.”
Related: If you’re hoping to buy World Cup tickets, watch out for scammers
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
