Scalping relief on the way for Open fans

Tennis fans who paid to attend the Australian Open have been turned away at the gate after buying dodgy tickets, but the state government has promised to smash scalping scams.

As weekend crowds pushed Melbourne Park’s first-week attendance past 500,000, News Corp reported that a quarter of tickets sold by online agency Viagogo weren’t valid due to being sold multiple times or as child tickets.

A proposed bill to crackdown on ticket scalping is being considered by state parliament.

It would allow the reclassification of the Open – on top of other entertainment drawcards – as a “declared” major event, similar to the AFL Grand Final.

Any scalpers caught price-gouging 10 per cent more than the ticket’s face value could face fines of up to $475,000.

Until the proposal becomes law Tourism Minister John Eren warned those heading to Melbourne Park for the second week of the grand slam to steer clear of illegitimate ticketing sites.

“It’s disappointing to hear that fans have missed out on watching their favourite tennis players because of unauthorised tickets,” Mr Eren said in a statement to AAP.

“We urge people to only buy tickets from authorised sellers – it’s the only way to ensure you’re not getting ripped off.”

Tennis Australia echoed the minister’s words, having previously taken measures to help fans navigate the tricky secondary market for Open tickets.

“We’ve tried to educate the public for a number of years not to buy from unauthorised resellers and use our official channels,” a Tennis Australia spokeswoman said.

On Monday, prime-location seats for the men’s final were on-sale for as much as $4450 on Viagogo.

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