The Italian competition authority imposed fines totaling 20 million euros ($22 million) on a ticketing agency and several travel agents for hoarding tickets for Rome's Colosseum and selling them at inflated prices.
The companies are said to have used bots and other automated systems to snap up tickets to the amphitheater and associated archaeological park, forcing visitors to buy tickets with additional services, such as jumping lengthy queues and employing tour guides.
The authority accused the CoopCulture ticketing agency, which ran the official Colosseum ticket sales between 1997 and 2024, of failing to combat this practice.
Six travel agents based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were fined for using the automated systems to buy up tickets and sell them on their platforms.
The 2,000-year-old Colosseum is one of Italy's best-loved attractions. Built in the first century, it is the largest amphitheater in the world. Millions visit it every year to see where gladiators once fought.
