Written reply to PQ on reviewing position on anti-scalping legislation and regulating against automated bulk ticket purchases by bots

Question:

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry given that concert ticket scam losses exceeded $1.1 million in 2023 to 2024 and consumer surveys show nearly 50% of Singaporeans identify scalping as a significant concern, whether the Ministry (i) has reviewed its 2019 position that anti-scalping legislation is not warranted and (ii) will consider legislation targeting the use of automated bots to purchase event tickets in bulk.

Written Answer by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1.                  Government policy does not prohibit the resale of goods and services in Singapore, including that of concert tickets. Rather, the Government’s approach is to safeguard consumers from unfair trading practices and scams, including false and misleading claims.

2.                  The Police step up public education efforts ahead of high-demand concerts with an elevated risk of ticketing scams, to warn concertgoers against purchasing fraudulent tickets on secondary resale platforms. The Police have also worked with these platforms to remove resale listings that are suspected scams. We encourage consumers to check the terms and conditions carefully when they buy resale tickets, and to validate the legitimacy of the tickets they are about to buy with the official event organisers. The Government is also looking into other solutions to further address concert ticket scams.

3.                  International experience has shown that anti-botting legislation are difficult to enforce effectively, as bot technologies evolve rapidly to bypass technical and legal barriers, and operators frequently reside outside national jurisdictions. Instead, major ticketing service providers are increasingly adopting technical safeguards, such as virtual waiting rooms and human verification tools such as CAPTCHA, to help ensure tickets are purchased by legitimate buyers.