The Slovak Antimonopoly Office (PMÚ) has officially closed its investigation into Ticketportal, Slovakia’s leading ticketing platform, after the company voluntarily amended its business practices to address concerns over potential anticompetitive behavior.
The probe focused on Ticketportal’s restrictions on secondary ticket sales and was launched by the PMÚ following a market survey conducted on its own initiative.
The investigation examined whether the company’s general terms and conditions, which prohibited the resale of non-personalized tickets, may have constituted a restriction of competition in violation of Slovak competition law. In response, Ticketportal promptly revised its terms, removing the ban on resale for electronic tickets. The company also pledged to eliminate restrictions on paper tickets with protective features once current stocks are exhausted, a change expected by October 2025.
The PMÚ praised Ticketportal’s cooperation and swift implementation of the changes. It concluded that these adjustments sufficiently addressed any competitive concerns, and therefore it discontinued the proceedings. According to the authority, the case demonstrates how proactive collaboration between regulators and businesses can lead to timely and effective solutions that benefit consumers—in this case, ticket buyers regaining the ability to transfer tickets freely.
While the Ticketportal investigation has been closed, the PMÚ has opened a separate administrative proceeding targeting possible abuse of dominance in Slovakia’s online discount portal sector. Although the name of the company under investigation has not been made public, the competition authority revealed that the case concerns an online intermediary service that may have been imposing restrictive conditions on its partners since at least 2018.
According to the PMÚ, the company in question may have limited business users’ ability to simultaneously sell products on competing platforms and imposed contractual clauses preventing lower prices elsewhere. Such conduct could distort market dynamics, potentially reducing competitive pressure on dominant platforms and harming both consumers and rival services.
The investigation remains ongoing. While the initiation of proceedings does not imply guilt, the PMÚ now considers there to be sufficient grounds to examine the matter more closely. If a violation is ultimately confirmed, the company could face significant sanctions, including fines of up to 10 percent of its global annual turnover. It may also be required to cease the conduct in question and adopt changes to ensure compliance with competition rules.
This latest action signals the PMÚ’s continued vigilance in digital markets, particularly in cases involving powerful online platforms. The authority emphasized that maintaining open and fair conditions in rapidly evolving sectors like ticketing and e-commerce remains a top enforcement priority.
