The Autoritá Garante Della Concorrenza E Del Mercato (“AGCM”), the Italian Competition Authority, recently imposed a collective fine of nearly € 20 million on Società Cooperativa Culture (“CoopCulture”), a company that has managed ticket sales for the Colosseum from 1997 until 2024, and six tour operators – Tiqets International BV, GetYorGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy with Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited, and Musement S.p.A. During an investigation launched by the AGCM in 2023, it found that the companies knowingly contributed to the “substantial and prolonged” unavailability of base-priced tickets for entry into Colosseum Archaeological Park in an effort to raise ticket prices and generate profits. According to the Authority, CoopCulture engaged in an unfair commercial practice in violation of article 20 of the Consumer Code, while the conduct of the six tour operators violated articles 23, 24 and 25 of the Code.
The Authority alleges that CoopCulture failed to adequately address the automated hoarding of base-priced tickets on its website, making it virtually impossible for consumers to purchase Colosseum tickets online. CoopCulture also allegedly kept a substantial number of tickets for their own educational tours – practices that forced consumers to purchase tickets from tour operators and other platforms that resold them as part of bundled services at much higher rates. The Authority also found that the six tour operators used bots and other automated tools to purchase tickets from CoopCulture’s website, which contributed to the persistent lack of Colosseum tickets available for purchase by consumers.