KEY POINTS:
Online opportunists selling Warriors tickets for hundreds of dollars online are unlikely to get caught, according to Ticketek.
General manager Brendon Bainbridge said unless photographs of the tickets, with their serial numbers, were posted online, then there was little chance of the perpetrators being identified.
Ticketek, the NRL
and the Warriors have threatened to cancel scalped tickets to Friday's semi-final between the Warriors and the Roosters at Mt SMart Stadium.
"There's not much we can do in most cases," Mr Bainbridge said.
He said tickets had clear instructions on them saying they could not be resold but it's hard to catch people out.
Mr Bainbridge said some tickets were cancelled last year but "not a heck of a lot".
He said only five per cent of events advertised by Ticketek sold out so ticket scalping was not often a problem in New Zealand.
By 6pm yesterday scalpers had posted about 66 tickets on Trade Me, with some bids up to $500.
But it was hard to know if the bids were serious or people were mocking the scalpers, as one bid for four tickets was $90,425.
Warriors CEO Wayne Scurrah has warned fans with scalped tickets that their tickets will be cancelled if they are detected.
Mr Scurrah said last year when the Warriors met the Parramatta Eels in the quarter-finals tickets were scalped and some fans were turned away at the gate.
"It's not always possible but I guess the other thing is that we're about to release another 1500 tickets so all these people who have paid over-inflated prices are just wasting their money.
"If they want to pay $200 - $300 a ticket they could sit in the lounge and get a meal and all their drinks provided so I can't understand why people will do that," Mr Scurrah said.
He said a member had phoned him with information on people allegedly scalping tickets.
"A lot of people don't want it to happen and we want fans to be able to buy tickets and come to the games, that's the spirit we'd like to support," Mr Scurrah said.
He said Ticketek and the NRL were also investigating the issue of scalped tickets.
Mad Butcher Peter Leitch has also come out against the scalpers, calling them "bloody mongrels".
"I've had people ringing me crying, begging, can I get them tickets.
"When I woke up this morning I had 29 messages on my phone.
"A lot of the people that go to the games can't afford to pay these scalpers. It's bloody disgusting. I firmly believe that if people didn't buy these tickets, scalpers would go away because these people only survive on idiots paying the prices."
He said people who missed out on tickets should watch the game on TV.
"I'd advise pubs to set up an atmosphere, put a grandstand in a pub. You can create your own atmosphere, get friends around, have a bit of a party."
Dedicated Warriors fans skipped work and waited in queues for more than five hours yesterday.
About 300 fans, some who had been waiting since 4.30am, were at the booths when they opened at 9am.
But with only 10,000 tickets available to non-members, several walked away empty-handed after tickets sold out within 11 minutes.
Season members enjoyed shorter queues as their tickets went on sale at 9am Monday morning. Any season tickets left at noon today will be made available to the public, ensuring the stadium will be at its full capacity of 26,200 seats.
Fan John Steiner said Sunday's Warriors versus Storm clash was so exciting - "we were jumping around the living room" - and he couldn't miss the chance to get tickets for the semifinal.
"I am supposed to be at work, but the boss is down country.
"The Warriors will win. There's no worries about that. I'll be going with a bunch of my mates. How many depends on how many tickets I can get."
Yvonne Stephen, who managed to secure some tickets, said: "It was worth the wait. They're in the north stand but whatever, who cares. At least we'll be at the game.
"The Warriors will win. If they don't, they'll have to be exported."
Ms Stephen started queuing with a friend at 7.30am to buy tickets for her son who is coming from Coromandel to see the game.
Possibly harbouring a death wish, Sydney fan Ollie Hampton joined Tuesday's line at 6.30am dressed in a rooster costume.
"I've been getting abused a lot, and it's pretty hot in this suit," he said.
