Posted August 30, 2017 14:26:53

Photo: Scalpers have tried to capitalise on the AFL finals, with reported mark-ups of 300 per cent. (Viagogo)

Ticket scalpers cashing in on footy finals fever in Adelaide are now facing hefty fines after the State Government bowed to pressure and declared it would reclassify the upcoming clashes as so-called 'major events'.

But that approach has been ridiculed by one MP as an outdated solution that will not provide long-term certainty for fans.

Within hours of tickets going on sale on Tuesday for the Crows and Power finals at Adelaide Oval, scalpers were reselling tickets online at hugely inflated prices.

Fans trying to secure seats for the anticipated clashes have also been frustrated by lengthy delays.

The Government today announced it would declare the upcoming finals major events, making it illegal to resell tickets at mark-ups of more than 10 per cent.

But that commitment came only after Liberal spokesman Tim Whetstone had urged it to happen.

"Scalpers are roaming free on the internet selling those tickets, some of them at up to 300 per cent mark-ups," he said.

Sport Minister Leon Bignell downplayed the problem of scalping, suggesting it was not as serious as was being reported.

"Anyone who wants to pay more than they should be paying is just crazy," he said.

"These images that people have of someone coming in and trying to stand out the front and sell a ticket for $500 don't actually match up with the reality."

Those comments earned a sharp rebuke from Greens MP Tammy Franks.

"The Government doesn't take this issue seriously," she said.

"I think the Minister needs to get in the real world, go Google. He said there were tickets still available today because he had been online and had a look.

"There's single tickets, so you can't take your kid."

Photo: Many Crows fans have struggled to get anything other than single tickets for the clash. (AAP: David Mariuz)

Legislation introduced in 2012 allows the Government to declare major events, raising the threat of fines of up to $25,000 for scalpers.

But no-one has been prosecuted and Ms Franks is demanding a crackdown on "resale rorting", describing the Government's approach as "19th century solution to a 21st century problem".

"There should be protections for true fans to get [online] and not get ripped off and not have the bots and the ticket scalpers making a profit," she said.

Topics: consumer-protection, australian-football-league, states-and-territories, government-and-politics, sa, adelaide-5000