Ontario moves to ban Maple Leafs ticket resales for more than their original face value
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Doug Ford has proposed a ban on resale tickets, meaning that fans will finally be able to afford to see their favourite teams by amending the 2017 Ticket Sales Act - a big win for professional sports fans.
The Ford Government has proposed amendments to the Ticket Sales Act which would cap resale tickets at face value, and prevent scalpers from mass purchasing tickets and then trying to upsell on Ticketmaster and other sites.
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Ford commented that the end is going to be near for resellers:
We're putting ticket scalpers on notice: Your days of ripping people off are done.
This is a turnabout face from when the Ford Government scrapped anti-scalping laws in 2019, and with the economic impact that had, it seems that enough was enough.
Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement also made a statement regarding the potential amendments:
We are taking action to help ensure Ontario fans have access to fair resale prices and are not exploited by price gouging when they buy resale tickets for their favourite events.
According to a CBC report, the Ford Government is also looking at policies that limit production and distribution of fake tickets, and adjusting things to stop unfair service charges and additional fees.
It's a win for the fans considering the prices to see Maple Leafs games are bordering on extortion. Sometimes resell tickets go for hundreds above face value, and the cap is a great consolation after years of spending a lot of money.
Especially at a time where the Maple Leafs aren't exactly lighting the league on fire, fans are still paying ridiculous amounts for a mediocre product. With this in place, it at least gives fans the chance to watch at a more reasonable cost.
While nothing is concrete yet and this is just a preliminary proposal from the Ontario Government, the hope is that ticket prices can drop soon and perfectly on cue for when the Maple Leafs take the ice for 2026-27.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 20|965 ANSWERS Ontario moves to ban Maple Leafs ticket resales for more than their original face value Are you happy that the Ontario Government is trying to lower ticket prices? | ||
| Yes | 889 | 92.1 % |
| No | 76 | 7.9 % |
| List of polls | ||