Antitrust Fines Tackle Ticket Hoarding at Roman Colosseum

Italy's antitrust authority fined a ticketing company and six tour operators about 20 million euros for limiting access to the Roman Colosseum. Through automated ticket hoarding and reselling, these entities made standard-priced tickets largely unavailable, compelling consumers to buy higher-priced bundles.

In a significant move, Italy's antitrust authority has imposed fines totaling nearly 20 million euros on a ticketing company and six tour operators for engaging in ticket hoarding practices affecting the Roman Colosseum, according to an announcement on Monday.

The authority highlighted that CoopCulture, responsible for official ticket sales from 1997-2024, failed to curb automated ticket hoarding and reserved a large share of tickets for its own offerings, earning a fine of 7 million euros.

Six tour operators used software robots to purchase tickets in bulk and then sold them at higher prices with bundled services. This action led to the prolonged unavailability of standard-priced tickets for the iconic attraction, as confirmed by the regulator.

(With inputs from agencies.)