A Lord's Ashes Test, an Open at St. Andrews and Britain reaching its first Davis Cup semifinal for 34 years: tickets for all three were "golden," with tens of thousands of "hungry spectators clamouring to be a part of the action," according to Ben Rumsby of the London TELEGRAPH. To succeed, "many of them would have had little choice but to allow themselves to be exploited on online resale platforms" in which seats for "such coveted events" are auctioned at "sky-high prices." A new law should have "at least given buyers added confidence that they would not fall victim to the ultimate ticketing scam: being sold one that does not exist." Legislation that came into force "almost two months ago to help prevent such fraud" has reportedly been "openly defied on the secondary market." The new Consumer Rights Act made it a legal requirement for "anyone reselling a ticket to provide key information about it once those details become known." There have reportedly been examples "in which such details were omitted by those offering seats for this summer's Ashes series, including the last Test and the next at Edgbaston." Those for the Open and Davis Cup "also appear to have contravened the legislation," while tickets for the biggest event Britain will stage since the Olympics, autumn's Rugby World Cup, "are being offered illegally, too." The England & Wales Cricket Board has become the first governing body to "take the matter to the police after closely monitoring the selling of Ashes tickets listed on leading online exchanges Viagogo and Seatwave." Viagogo said its website made it "very clear" to sellers that they "must include information required by law on any listing once they had it in their possession." Seatwave said, "If we become aware that a seller is attempting to sell tickets without listing seat numbers where seat numbers should be available, we contact them reminding them of their obligations under the act, asking them to add the seat number" (TELEGRAPH, 7/22).
