Red card: landmark ruling bans ticket touts from Cheltenham all season

Cheltenham, home to jump racing's biggest draw over four days in March, has succeeded in a ground-breaking High Court battle to ban ticket touts from the track.

An interlocutory injunction against ticket touting at Cheltenham, which races for the first time this season on Friday, was granted on Wednesday with immediate effect until June 2019, so covering the racecourse’s full season.

Cheltenham boss Ian Renton hailed the verdict as a “landmark decision”.

He said: “We welcome the judgement of Mr Justice Nugee at the High Court today, when an injunction was granted against ticket touting at Cheltenham racecourse.

“This prohibits the selling and buying of tickets by touts on racecourse property, and we welcome this landmark decision."

Renton continued: “It's the first time any such injunction has been granted to prevent touting at a racecourse. It will take effect from this weekend and will remain in place for the whole season.

Ian Renton: delighted with Wednesday's High Court injunctionCredit: Dan Abraham

"We are grateful for the full support of Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire Police in seeking this injunction.

“This is the next step in seeking to reduce, and where possible eliminate, the unpleasant and often criminal activities of touts that undermine the enjoyment of our racegoers.”

It is believed ticket touts cost the Jockey Club £1 million each year at big events at their racecourses, such as the Cheltenham Festival, the Derby meeting at Epsom and the Grand National at Aintree.

Renton revealed more than 150 touts operated at the festival in March. They used a variety of methods, including printing thousands of fake cardboard badges.

Racegoers have complained about being bothered by touts, while others have paid for tickets at the gates only to find they have already been used.

The racecourse tried to combat touts last year by working with Cheltenham council to issue public space protection orders in the town and at the racecourse.

However, with maximum fines set at only £80, these proved an ineffectual deterrent.

Organisers of other big sporting events in Britain plagued by ticket touts, such as Wimbledon tennis, Six Nations rugby at Twickenham and some football matches at Wembley, are likely to have taken a keen interest in the case brought by Cheltenham and in Wednesday's ruling.

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