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Saudi Entertainment Authority Continues Crackdown on Black Market Tickets

Large crowds of visitors at one of the General Entertainment Authority's events.(Asharq Al-Awsat)
Large crowds of visitors at one of the General Entertainment Authority's events.(Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Entertainment Authority Continues Crackdown on Black Market Tickets

Large crowds of visitors at one of the General Entertainment Authority's events.(Asharq Al-Awsat)
Large crowds of visitors at one of the General Entertainment Authority's events.(Asharq Al-Awsat)

Since 2016, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has been fighting against black market ticket sales for events like concerts, theater shows, and sports matches.

On Monday, GEA Governor Turki Al-Sheikh announced their biggest crackdown yet, blocking the sale of over 4,000 tickets. Al-Sheikh pledged continued efforts to stop ticket scalping and mentioned upcoming features to help reduce the problem.

“We encourage you to buy tickets from the official platform,” he said.

“Our aim is to ensure you get tickets at fair prices,” he added in a post on X.

Last year, Al-Sheikh launched “WeBook,” the official site for booking tickets to Riyadh Season 2023. The platform offers many benefits and services, urging users to register to combat black market ticket sales.

Moreover, GEA is working with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence to shut down sites selling overpriced tickets. They are connecting the ticketing system to offer fair prices and fight the black market.

Fahad bin Naif, CEO of NOB for marketing solutions, emphasized the importance of awareness before discussing penalties.

He highlighted the entertainment sector’s vital role in the economy and the need to eliminate black market ticket sales.

“The entertainment sector is rapidly developing,” he stressed, adding that “using modern technologies like WeBook can help prevent market manipulation.”

WeBook and other official platforms by the GEA will make it easier for everyone to buy tickets fairly, stopping black market practices and ensuring transparency.

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Exports from Libya's Hariga Oil Port Stop as Crude Supply Dries Up, Say Engineers

A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
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Exports from Libya's Hariga Oil Port Stop as Crude Supply Dries Up, Say Engineers

A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)

The Libyan oil export port of Hariga has stopped operating due to insufficient crude supplies, two engineers at the terminal told Reuters on Saturday, as a standoff between rival political factions shuts most of the country's oilfields.

This week's flare-up in a dispute over control of the central bank threatens a new bout of instability in the North African country, a major oil producer that is split between eastern and western factions.

The eastern-based administration, which controls oilfields that account for almost all the country's production, are demanding western authorities back down over the replacement of the central bank governor - a key position in a state where control over oil revenue is the biggest prize for all factions.

Exports from Hariga stopped following the near-total shutdown of the Sarir oilfield, the port's main supplier, the engineers said.

Sarir normally produces about 209,000 barrels per day (bpd). Libya pumped about 1.18 million bpd in July in total.

Libya's National Oil Corporation NOC, which controls the country's oil resources, said on Friday the recent oilfield closures have caused the loss of approximately 63% of total oil production.