Colosseum ticket scandal. CoopCulture fined 7 million euros.

A fine of nearly 20 million euros has been imposed by theAntitrust Authority (AGCM) on the Società Cooperativa Culture (CoopCulture) and six international tour operators for serious violations in the system of selling admission tickets to the Colosseum Archaeological Park. The measure comes at the end of an investigation launched in July 2023, following numerous reports on the chronic inability of visitors to purchase online base price tickets to access the archaeological area.

According to the Authority’s findings, the shortage of tickets was the result of a system flawed by unfair practices and commercial strategies that harmed consumers, forcing them to turn to alternative circuits where tickets were sold at increased prices, combined with ancillary services such as guided tours or skip-the-line formulas.

CoopCulture’s responsibilities and the role of tour operators.

CoopCulture, the historic concessionaire of the official ticketing service for the Colosseum from 1997 to 2024, was held directly responsible for contributing, with full knowledge, to the persistent unavailability of tickets. The company received an administrative fine of 7 million euros. TheAntitrust Authority made two main findings: on the one hand, CoopCulture did not take effective measures to counter the hoarding of tickets through bots and automated tools; on the other hand, it allocated a considerable share of tickets to combined sales with its own educational visits, from which it derived considerable economic benefits. The conduct resulted in a distortion of the market, effectively excluding the possibility for many users to access the official ticket office and purchase only the entrance ticket at the set price. Consumers were thus forced to purchase more expensive packages, fueling a resale system that proved profitable for CoopCulture and numerous private tour operators.

In parallel, the Authority also sanctioned six internationally active tour operators-Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited and Musement S.p.A. The companies were major contributors to the phenomenon of the rapid disappearance of basic-price tickets available on the official website. The charge is that they systematically purchased tickets through bots or other automated tools, violating competition rules and altering the regular functioning of the market. The tickets thus obtained were then offered for sale combined with additional services, often not requested by the user, at even substantial surcharges. In practice, the coordinated action of CoopCulture and the tour operators produced a parallel market where the direct and transparent purchase of a single ticket had become an exception.

The violations of the Consumer Code

The conduct found fell within the scope of unfair business practices under the Consumer Code. In particular, CoopCulture was found responsible for a violation of Article 20(2), which prohibits practices contrary to professional diligence and capable of appreciably distorting the economic behavior of the average consumer. As for the six tour operators, the violations found relate to Articles 24 and 25 of the Code, which regulate aggressive practices, and, for episodes after April 2, 2023, also to Article 23(1)(bb-bis), which explicitly prohibits the use of automated software to purchase tickets for resale.

The antitrust investigation uncovered an articulated and long-established system capable of heavily conditioning access to one of the world’s most visited cultural sites. The unavailability of base price tickets was the result of a complex strategy that excluded direct channels in favor of a parallel market based on speculation. The Authority itself pointed out that the practices implemented had direct consequences on consumers’ right to correct information and transparent purchasing conditions, seriously compromising the quality of the public tourism offer and the credibility of the entire system of enjoyment of the national cultural heritage.

The fallout on the Italian tourism system

The Colosseum case opens a broader consideration of the dynamics of cultural tourism in Italy and the management of ticketing at major archaeological sites and museums. The mechanism that emerged as part of the investigation shows how the weakness of control systems and the lack of effective tools to counter technological abuse can turn into an advantage for a few operators, to the detriment of the general interest.

The Antitrust Authority’s measure could therefore be a first step toward more stringent regulation of systems of sales and access to cultural venues in order to promote greater transparency, fairness and accessibility.

Colosseum ticket scandal. CoopCulture fined 7 million euros.

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