The scalping of postseason tickets that exploits the excitement of fall baseball will be curbed. From now on, even if a macro program is not used, anyone who illegally purchases or sells admission tickets will be subject to sanctions. A penalty surcharge of up to 50 times the sales amount may be imposed on illegal sellers.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will launch a joint campaign during the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO postseason to prevent scalping transactions and establish a healthy spectating culture.
The core of this campaign is the amended Enforcement Decree of the National Sports Promotion Act that went into effect on Aug. 28. Under the revision, sanctions against scalping transactions have been strengthened. Whereas regulation previously focused mainly on fraudulent purchases using macro programs, purchasing and selling tickets for sporting events fraudulently are now prohibited regardless of whether macros are used.
Penalties have been increased. A penalty surcharge of up to 50 times the sales amount can be imposed on illegal sellers. A system to report scalping transactions and a reward program have also been newly established.
The postseason in particular was targeted because competition for securing tickets is fiercer than in the regular season, so the focus is on raising awareness about scalping transactions.
The KBO and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plan to set up anti-scalping promotion booths at postseason stadiums to inform baseball fans about the main points of the revised law and how to report scalping. On site, a roulette event will also be held to give out hand warmers.
The police will also take direct action. The Korean National Police Agency plans to deploy police personnel to postseason stadiums to carry out on-site crackdowns on scalping transactions while conducting prevention and public awareness activities.
The aim is to block scalping transactions by strengthening actual crackdowns as well as publicity.
A KBO official said the KBO will use this postseason as an opportunity to inform baseball fans about the revised anti-scalping system and work to create a healthy sports culture in which everyone can buy tickets legitimately and enjoy the games.
As competition for postseason tickets intensifies, it remains to be seen how effective the strengthened sanctions and on-site crackdowns will be in reducing chronic scalping transactions.
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