Up to 3 years in jail for ticket scalpers pushed

Metro Manila, Philippines - A recently filed Senate bill seeks to penalize the unauthorized selling and buying of tickets to concerts and other entertainment events, with penalties reaching up to three years in prison and a ₱500,000 fine.

Filed by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, the proposed Anti-Ticket Scalping Act prohibits the offering, hoarding, selling, distributing, buying, or dealing in tickets—without written permission from the event's authorized producer, organizer, or distributor—for the purpose of reselling them at more than 10% above their original price.

Under the bill, the penalties are as follows:

+ First offense: ₱100,000 fine or six months’ imprisonment, or both

+ Second offense: ₱250,000 fine or one year of imprisonment, or both

+ Third and subsequent offenses: ₱500,000 fine or three years of imprisonment, or both

The same penalties apply to anyone financing, managing, or operating ticket scalping activities.

The bill was filed earlier this week, with a copy shared to the media on Thursday, July 10.

Other offenses under the proposed measure include selling tickets without displaying the face value, using unauthorized platforms for resale, and aiding, abetting, or attempting to commit any of the prohibited acts.

Penalties range from a ₱50,000 fine to a ₱250,000 fine or one year of imprisonment, or both. For corporations, penalties may apply to the entity and/or the responsible officers.

In the explanatory note, Pangilinan said Filipinos are major concert spenders and avid fans of sports, theater plays, and musicals—leading to high ticket demand often exploited by scalpers.

“Currently, the legal framework for ticket scalping is scattered across local ordinances, consumer protection statutes, the Revised Penal Code’s fraud provisions, e-commerce, and cybercrime laws, which leads to inconsistent enforcement and unscrupulous practices that undermine the integrity of live events like concerts, basketball or volleyball games and theater performances,” Pangilinan wrote.

“This proposed legislation will serve as a comprehensive national law explicitly banning ticket scalping,” he added.