SM Tickets tightens process in buying UAAP Finals Game 3 tickets

MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to curb scalping, SM Tickets announced on Tuesday that they will only sell tickets on the day of the much-anticipated UAAP Finals Game 3 between University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University.

In statement posted on its official Facebook account, SM Tickets said tickets won’t be available in their branches and online. The tickets will instead be released on Saturday at the Marina ticket booth of Mall of Asia Arena.

Only one ticket will be sold per person, the company said.

The management of the arena added that fans who already purchased ticket will be directed to the entrance and won’t be allowed to leave the venue.

“1 ticket per physically present person inline only,” SM tickets said. “Those inline will be directed straight to the venue entrance. Customer will not be allowed to leave the line after purchase.”

Tickets are priced from P75 (General Admission) to P400 (Patron).

SM Tickets said it will release a total of 1,800 tickets, including Lower Box SRO 1000 pieces, Upper Box SRO 300 pieces, and Gen Ad 500 pieces).

Related article: UST, DLSU fans search for 'other' UAAP Finals tickets

This comes amid reports of rampant scalping during the past two games of the finals. Recently, a UST student claimed that a staff of the Smart Araneta Coliseum gave other tickets to a scalper who sold it at a higher price.

Tickets were offered in the classified ads website Sulit.com.ph for P4,000 to as high as P45,000. Last Friday, the management of Araneta Coliseum and Tickenet said in a statement that the staff captured in the photo posted by UST Medicine student Chrizeus Delton Batara was suspended while the investigation is ongoing.

Related article: Big Dome suspends staff over 'scalping' incident

“The staff in question has already been placed under preventive suspension pending investigation of this incident,” the statement read.