LCSD cracks down on illegal reselling of sports facilities

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department on Monday introduced new measures to combat the illegal reselling of bookings for its sports venues, commonly known as scalping facilities.

Starting January 21, using computer programs or automated tools to book or disrupt the system will result in a 360-day account suspension. Users are advised to safeguard their SmartPLAY account details and avoid sharing login information.

Indoor basketball and volleyball court bookings will require the hirer to provide details of two additional users, with at least one accompanying the hirer to check in and use the facility, mirroring current football pitch rules.

The free-use policy for no-shows after 10 minutes, known as picking up unused slots, will end for indoor basketball and volleyball courts from December 30, following reports of deliberate no-shows to enable scalping.

The department will monitor the measures' effectiveness and refine the SmartPLAY system or add further anti-scalping actions as needed.