Failure to deal with ticket touts ahead of Ryder Cup leading to 'serious' price gouging, TD says

Eva Osborne

A "critical failure" to deal with ticket touts has led to "serious price gouging" for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, a TD has said.

John Clendennen said that, despite legislation being in effect for nearly five years, there have been no prosecutions to date, leaving a loophole for opportunistic touts to exploit.

The law bans selling tickets above face value for designated events in venues such as Croke Park, Aviva Stadium, and 3Arena - with penalties of up to €100,000 and or two years in prison.

However, a loophole means venues or events not officially listed are exempt.

The Fine Gael TD Clendennen said the Ryder Cup venue in Limerick must be added to a list of venues and events register for the law to apply to the world-famous golf event.

"The Sale of Tickets Act 2021 was enacted with a clear objective to protect consumers and ensure fair access to major events by prohibiting the resale of tickets at prices above face value," he said.

“Fine Gael were proactive in this measure to stamp out ticket touting. We brought in the law and a predecessor of mine, Noel Rock, worked very hard on this. Now it needs to be properly enforced.

“However, the lack of prosecutions since its commencement in July 2021 is providing an open door for ticket touts to continue taking advantage of genuine fans.”

Evidence has emerged showing tickets for the prestigious golf event being re-sold at inflated prices far exceeding their official face value, he said.

Official general admission tickets for Ryder Cup 2027 practice days are advertised from €89, while match day tickets are priced at €499.

However, after popular secondary ticketing sites were examined, listings show practice day tickets ranging from approximately €480 to €600, while match day tickets range from €1,000 up to €1,220.

A weekly pass, officially priced at €1,999, is listed for around €3,100 on the secondary market.

Clendennen emphasised the dual responsibility in addressing this issue.

“Firstly, there is an onus on venues and event organisers to proactively engage with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to ensure their events or venues are officially listed on the register attached to the Sale of Tickets Act 2021. This designation is crucial for the legislation to apply effectively.”

He also called for robust enforcement from the relevant authorities.

“An Garda Síochána and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) both have a vital role to play in upholding this legislation.

“It is imperative that they are adequately empowered to investigate and prosecute those who break the law."