The England and Wales Cricket Board today welcomed the Government’s acceptance of an Amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill during a House of Lords debate that will give greater protection to cricket fans.
The new measures will ensure that fans buying tickets on secondary ticketing platforms are given key ticketing details such as the original face value price of the ticket, the exact location of the seat and whether the seat is restricted to certain types of user.
It will also enable event organisers to take greater action against fraudulent ticket sales and exploitative touting by individuals and businesses who seek to buy up tickets en-masse to sell on at highly inflated prices.
ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said: “Online ticket fraud is a growing problem. We are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to ensure cricket fans do not fall victim to ticket touts whose sole objective is to make a profit at fans’ expense.
The ECB has worked closely with a number of Peers and Parliamentarians on this issue for many months and we are delighted that today the Government has listened to the case and acted by accepting an Amendment to the Bill.
“This is a significant step forward. Fans deserve to know exactly what they are getting for their money when they buy a ticket and now at long last we have greater ability to fight back against the industrial touting which blights sport in this country.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Lord Moynihan and Baroness Heyhoe-Flint who have worked tirelessly on this issue and shown constant goodwill and energy in their desire to represent the best interests of cricket fans.”