Double Standards For Ticket Touts?

Last updated : 01 May 2011 By Footy Mad - Editor

Football is one thing ... but sell on Olympic tickets at more than face value ... and you could be hit with a £20,000 fine

The ballot for tickets closed this week and the lottery process for buying means that many people could end up with more tickets than they really need. However, the Government is keen to clamp down on opportunistic profiteering by touts, by upping the fine from the previous £5,000 for Olympic tickets to £20,000.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "The 2012 Games will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Games on home soil. By increasing the fines for touting we are sending a clear message to criminals and prospective criminals that it is not worth their while and they are not welcome."

Why not introduce it into football?

So what can you do with extra or unwanted tickets? Anyone who wants to sell or exchange a ticket must do so through the official website, at face value – but this will not be set up until next year.