Italy Fines Colosseum Ticketing Agencies €20m For Making Tourists Pay More

Rome is a popular destination for thousands of travelers, and for good reason. Italy’s capital is wall-to-wall historic sites to visit, including the most popular, the Roman Colosseum. However, ticketing agencies have made it almost impossible for visitors to buy standard price entry to the country’s most popular tourist attraction. Now, Italy’s competition authority is taking steps to fine half a dozen tour operators for ticket hoarding practices, which have made it almost impossible for regular tourists to purchase basic tickets online to visit the Colosseum.

Italy fines ticketing agencies over Colosseum ticket prices

On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Italy’s competition authority levied fines totaling €20 million (roughly $22 million) for ticket hoarding practices that make it almost impossible for regular travelers to purchase basic tickets online to visit the Roman Colosseum.

The investigation started in July 2023 after widespread complaints had been received that it was almost impossible to buy tickets at official prices online. Italy’s antitrust authority, ACGM, said that ticket hoarding led to the “substantial and prolonged unavailability” of standard priced tickets to visit Italy’s most popular and iconic attraction.

Instead, ticketing agencies forced tourists to purchase higher-priced tickets to visit the Colosseum, with additional services like tour guides or the opportunity to skip the line.

According to Reuters, the director of the Colosseum declined to comment on the fines. His office said the monument was Italy’s most-visited in 2023, attracting more than 13 million visitors.

How did the ticketing agencies make it almost impossible to buy tickets?

To break down the culprits, the Cooperative Culture Society, which managed Colosseum ticket sales from 1997 to 2024, received the largest share of the overall fine, at €7 million. It was fined for failing to prevent automated ticket hoarding while reserving a large share of tickets for its own guided tour packages.

Meanwhile, six tour operators, based in Italy, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands also received fines for using bots and other automated systems to buy up large ticket quantities, thus making them unavailable to individual tourists.

While the authority didn’t list the actual mark-ups, the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, which is operated by the Italian Culture Ministry, lists the access price for the ancient Roman arena at €18 for adults. For that ticket price, tourists can spend 20 minutes on the main floor of the Colosseum.

The six tour operators were named as Tiqets International BV, GetYourGuide Deutschland GmbH, Walks LLC, Italy With Family S.r.l., City Wonders Limited, and Musement S.p.A. They were fined for using software robots to purchase tickets in bulk, thus contributing to the rapid disappearance from CoopCulture’s website.

The Colosseum was built some 2,000 years ago and was the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire. The arena was used to host gladiator fights, animal hunts, and executions.