After being hit with a compliance order for violating Ontario’s strict ticket reselling laws, SeatGeek registered to lobby Alberta’s government on its ticket resale policies.

Earlier this year, Ontario amended the Ticket Sales Act act to ban the resale of tickets for more than face value and increased financial penalties to up to $25,000 for repeat offenders.

The ticket reselling platform SeatGeek was issued a compliance order on May 28 and was soon after added to Ontario’s Consumer Beware List, a provincial registry of companies that have either not answered to two consumer complaints, or have been charged or convicted in relation to Ontario consumer protection laws.

READ MORE: StubHub and SeatGeek lobbying after B.C. hints at banning resale price hikes

Alberta’s lobbyist registry shows that SeatGeek filed on June 8 to lobby several government ministries on the province’s consumer protection laws and “Ticket Sales Act equivalent” legislation. The company said in its initial return it is seeking to engage with the government on “legislative, regulatory, and policy matters related to live event ticket resale, consumer protection, competition enforcement, and fraud prevention.”

Alberta doesn’t have a direct equivalent to Ontario’s legislation. Ticket reselling is included in consumer protection laws, which require that resellers provide refunds if the event is cancelled or the ticket is void and makes it illegal to use a bot to buy tickets or resell tickets purchased using a bot.

There are currently no rules in place about reselling a ticket for more than face value, but the province said it's paying attention to the changes in Ontario.

“No one deserves to get ripped off. Right now, we have strict rules in place to protect Albertans buying tickets,” said Kevin Lee, press secretary to the minister of service Alberta.

“We’re watching what’s happening in Ontario to see how similar rules could work in our province. If new rules are implemented, this would be the first update to ticket sale laws since 2018."

Along with service Alberta, SeatGeek’s lobbying is also targeting Alberta Technology and Innovation, the premier’s office, Alberta Tourism and Sport, and treasury and finance.

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