Colosseum, maxi fines confirmed to companies that hoarded tickets

The Lazio Regional Administrative Court confirms themaximum fines inflicted by the Antitrust Authority on two companies that manage platforms for the online booking of museum admissions, for unfair commercial practices with reference to the Colosseum Archaeological Park ticketing services. With two sentences, almost photocopied, the administrative judges rejected the appeals brought byMusement Spa (fined 1,500,000 euros) and Tiqets International BV (fined 4,300,000 euros).

The Authority's preliminary investigation had been launched in July 2023 after the collection of various pieces of information that had highlighted the substantial impossibility of purchasing online tickets for entrance to the Colosseum Archaeological Park, also due to hoarding through bots and other automated tools. Responding to the ground of censure by which it was pointed out that the aggressive commercial practice, as well as the fact that the two companies had never made massive purchases or hoarded tickets, the Regional Administrative Court pointed out how the preliminary investigation had "clearly demonstrated the commission of theunfair practice: in particular, the evidence appears to accurately describe how the deficient booking system of CoopCulture has made it practicable for professional operators to purchase massive numbers of admission tickets to the Colosseum archaeological park, even through automated tools, thereby depriving consumers of the possibility of purchasing tickets directly on the concessionaire's website'.

Therefore, having ascertained 'the certain commission of the conduct complained of by the Authority and having deemed correct the framing of the facts in the abstract punitive paradigm, the commission of the unfair commercial practice (deceptive and aggressive) can be said to have been established'.

And the size of the sanctions imposed, which were considered correctly quantified, is also confirmed. The Authority has imposed on CoopCulture, which managed from 1997 to 2024 the official sale service of tickets for access to the Colosseum, an administrative fine of 7 million euros, because, among other things, it 'contributed, in full knowledge, to the phenomenon of the serious and prolonged unavailability of entry tickets for the Colosseum at the basic price'.

In April 2025, the Authority had sanctioned CoopCulture for failing to take adequate initiatives to tackle the hoarding of admission tickets with automated methods, reserving significant quantities of tickets for sale in conjunction with its own educational visits, from which it derived significant economic benefits. A system that, in the Antitrust Authority's view, had forced consumers to turn to tour operators and platforms that resold tickets combined with additional services (e.g. tour guide, pick-up, queue-jumping) at significantly higher prices.