Cheltenham is seeking an injunction banning ticket touts from its grounds. GETTY IMAGES
Cheltenham Racecourse will go to the U.K. High Court on Wednesday to "seek an injunction banning ticket touts from the track in a groundbreaking move that would have profound ramifications for sporting venues throughout Britain," according to Mark Souster of the LONDON TIMES. If successful, it "could result in prison sentences of up to two years for repeat offenders." The move is regarded as the "first step in a concerted attempt to eliminate touting" at not just the Cheltenham Festival but leading events such as Six Nations rugby matches at Twickenham, Wimbledon tennis and other race meetings, including at Epsom, the home of the Derby, and Aintree, which hosts the Grand National. According to the barrister handling the case, touting has become a "scourge," which at its "most sophisticated level" involves organized crime and money laundering. John Steel, QC, said, "This is going to change the way forward for sport." Cheltenham Regional Dir Ian Renton said that more than 150 touts operated at the Festival in March. Renton: "Touting has got increasingly worse every year. Our racegoers are getting hassled, sometimes pretty aggressively, and fleeced. Some people are quite frightened by them." The course, which is part of the Jockey Club group, "tried to combat touts last year by working with Cheltenham council to issue public space protection orders in the town and at the racecourse." However, with maximum fines set at only £80 ($104), these proved to be an "ineffectual deterrent." If the injunction is granted, "it will take effect immediately but not be fully implemented before the Festival next March" (LONDON TIMES, 10/23).
