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October 1, 2019

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Home » Sports » Olympics

Tickets fraud hits Tokyo

Source: AP | 07:06 UTC+8 October 1, 2019 | Print Edition

Tokyo Olympic organizers are investigating the fraudulent purchase of 6,900 tickets worth 180 million yen (US$1.67 million) that were obtained in an online lottery for Japan residents.

“We are consulting with the police on this matter, and if there are other cases where unauthorized purchases are suspected, we will deal with those as needed,” Tokyo organizers said yesterday.

Organizers were in the process of voiding the tickets but did not suggest who was involved. They said they were bought using fraudulent IDs.

Ticket interest in next year’s Tokyo Olympic is unprecedented with demand at least 10 times above supply, and probably much greater.

Earlier this year Japan passed a law that prohibits ticket scalping, with a 1 million yen (US$9,100) fine and a one-year jail term, or both.

However, the law has large loopholes and does not apply to tickets distributed for free or given away as gifts, or tickets without a purchaser’s name. This applies to many tickets coming from the International Olympic Committee, the 206 national Olympic committees, or major sponsors.

Organizers have also announced the results of their latest ticket lottery for Japan residents. The outcome is much like the first lottery in May: tickets are very tough to get, and many in Japan will be left out.

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