New Rules Regulate Sports Ticket Sales & Resale in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has introduced new regulations governing ticket sales and resale for sports competitions and events, with sales restricted to event organisers and platforms accredited by the Ministry of Sport.

The ministry will launch a ticketing platform accreditation service through the Riyadhi Platform on November 15th. Existing ticketing platforms will have 90 days from the issuance of the regulations to comply with the required technical and regulatory standards.

Under the new rules, accredited platforms must provide secure transactions, protect consumer data and maintain systems capable of handling periods of high demand. They will also be required to clearly disclose ticket prices, additional fees, cancellation terms and refund policies, while establishing procedures for complaints and refunds.

The regulations prohibit hidden fees, misleading pricing, unauthorised ticket trading and the use of automated software or multiple accounts to circumvent ticket purchase limits.

Tickets may also be linked to buyers’ identities, while organisers and platforms will be required to enforce individual purchase limits and venue capacity restrictions. Accredited services must comply with cybersecurity and data protection requirements as part of the new framework.