Bill Targets Ticket Scalping, Bot Scams After 5 Years of Consumer Losses
A new Entertainment Ticket Sales Act aims to crack down on bot-driven scalping and price gouging that has cost Thai consumers over 33 million baht in losses over five years. The proposed law would require anti-bot protections and resale reg
Fair Ticket submitted a draft Entertainment Ticket Sales Act to parliament on September 3, 2026, presented by citizen legislator Nithikorn Bunyayukul on behalf of Fair Ticket and consumer advocate Nisara Kaewsuk. The proposed law aims to prevent automated ticket-buying schemes, bot-driven bulk purchases, and price gouging on resales that lock ordinary fans out of fair access to concert and entertainment tickets.
Nithikorn explained that the bill addresses the problem of computer programs, automated systems, and technology used to circumvent and manipulate ticket distribution, allowing profiteers to buy bulk quantities and resell them at inflated prices. Currently, ticket sales fall under civil and commercial law, but lack specific protections for fair access, bot prevention, or resale regulation.
The draft proposes minimum standards for ticket-sale systems, anti-bot protections, buyer verification requirements, and clear duties for organizers and vendors, backed by penalties. Over five years, about 8,058 complaints worth more than 33 million baht have been filed, yet the consumer council recovered only 11 million baht—just 34 percent—leaving thousands of victims uncompensated.
Problems include fraudulent lottery ticket scams hidden in sale systems, substandard service from organizers, inflated resales, inadequate refunds when events are cancelled, and hidden fees for claiming refunds. Parliament Secretary Opass Petchmunee accepted the draft and said it would be forwarded for further legislative proceedings.
