THREE KEY QUESTIONS

WE asked Ticketmaster three simple questions about what they are doing to take on supertouts such as Newman. Their answers suggest they will do nothing provided touts stay within current law.

1 Why have you not blacklisted Newman and his family and blocked their accounts?

They said: “We are not aware of, or have been given evidence of, any illegal activity at this point.” We say: Our campaign has shed clear light on how Newman operates. Surely the right course is to take action pending further investigation?

2 Will you now blacklist him, in light of what the Record is telling you?

They said: “We would be most grateful if the Daily Record could provide us with evidence or further details of the alleged illegal activity so that we can investigate.”

We say: Our series of articles speaks for itself. We have also alerted Ticketmaster to a number of suspect accounts in their own system.

3 Ticketmaster seem unable to police a simple six-ticket maximum rule or deflect the software used by touts. Do you accept this?

They said: “Ticketmaster do more than any other ticket agent to combat the use of bot software, investing millions of dollars in technology and human moderation to identify and block bot activity.

“We have lobbied for stronger laws and greater enforcement to punish those who use bots to deny real fans the opportunity to get tickets.

“Ticket limitations are imposed by our clients and we act in accordance with their instructions in terms of its enforcement.” We say: This does not address the fact that the Record revealed a pattern of multiple purchasing by Newman. Our verdict: Ticketmaster’s attitude offers no comfort to real fans and effectively gives a green light to the touts.