Issue date: February 21, 2024
Issuing unit: Sports Industry and Planning Division
Unit contact person: Executive Officer Chien Yu-hsuan
Tel.: 02-8771-1832
E-mail：ctejn850731@mail.sa.gov.tw
Media contact person: Section Chief Chang-Ru-min
Tel.: (02)8771-1831
E-mail:rmchang@mail.sa.gov.tw
In recent years, public interest in attending domestic sports events and activities has markedly increased. To safeguard the public's rights to access these events and tackle the issue of ticket scalping, the Sports Administration (SA) has drafted the “Regulations Governing Handling of and Incentives for Reporting Violations of Ticketing Regulations for Sports Competitions and Activities” (hereinafter the Regulations). These Regulations were reviewed and approved during the 934th internal affairs meeting of the Ministry of Education (MOE) held on February 21st. The announcement and implementation of these Regulations were conducted in accordance with legislative procedures at the end of February. The aim is to ensure the normal distribution of tickets for sports events and activities, while also providing clear guidelines and incentives for local authorities when dealing with instances of ticket scalping.
The MOE previously formulated a draft addition Article 24-1 of the “Sports Industry Development Act” (hereinafter the Act), approved by the Executive Yuan and passed by the Legislative Yuan after a third reading on December 15, 2023. The President also announced it on January 3 this year and took effect on January 5. The competent authorities now have the legal basis for implementation. The SA urges ticket scalpers at sports events and activities to avoid risking legal action by refraining from their activities.
To motivate the public to report scalping incidents, Paragraph 6, Article 24-1, of the Act includes the legal basis that authorizes the central competent authority to set guidelines on reporting rewards. The MOE, drawing upon the legislative spirit of Article 10-1 on case handling and reporting rewards from the Ministry of Culture's "Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act," has established these regulations; they detail the jurisdiction for case reports, submission methods for informants, required information, rationale for supplementary documentation, processing timelines, criteria for informant rewards, confidentiality and other compliance requirements. Key points include:
- Jurisdiction for accepting reporting cases: clearly defines that cases violating Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 24-1 of this Act fall under specified jurisdiction. It also considers informants erroneously submitting reports to local authorities without jurisdiction. In such cases, authorities without jurisdiction are required to transfer the case to the appropriate body within the statutory deadline and notify the informant.
- The method for filing a report by informant, required details and reasons for supplementary documents: Informants can report violations via various methods; when reporting cases violating Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 24-1 of this Act, they should provide detailed information, which aids in subsequent investigations, awarding of informant bonuses and communication; if the informant fails to provide complete information and the deadline for submitting additional documents has passed, the report will not be accepted.
- Processing Period for Reporting Cases: To specify the processing period for handling report cases and current state of practical implementation, the investigation should be concluded within two months from the date the informant provides all necessary information.
- The basis for a reporting reward to informants: For reported cases violating Paragraph 2, Article 24-1 of the Act, a reporting reward of 20% of the fine will be given, with a maximum of NT$100,000. For reports of violations specified in Paragraph 3, Article 24-1 of the Act, the reporting reward is NT$100,000.
- Confidentiality of Informants' Personal Information: To safeguard the informants' safety and rights, local competent authorities are primarily obligated to maintain the confidentiality of the personal information provided by informants.
- Other Compliance Matters: The Regulations state that if an informant does not report under their real name or fails to provide supplementary documents within the given timeframe, they will not receive the reporting reward. The Regulations also cover the conditions for issuing and withholding reporting rewards, the circumstances in which reporting rewards will not be issued, and the procedures for reclaiming reporting rewards that have already been distributed. Additionally, they detail the methods for distributing the rewards when multiple individuals jointly report the same case, or when the same case is reported by different individuals, and stipulate that the reporting reward budget must be allocated by the local competent authority.
The SA stated that it will plan to collaborate with local governments and police units to develop supportive measures, such as creating special reporting zones and conducting joint investigative operations, to facilitate the implementation of Article 24-1 of the Act and the provisions of the draft Regulations. The SA also reiterates its warning to ticket scalpers at sports events and activities against risking illegal scalping activities. Moreover, the public is encouraged to purchase tickets through proper and legal channels to support their favorite sports events and help maintain market order.