From April 29 to May 18, Rome hosted the 2025 edition of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, one of the most anticipated tennis events of the year. The large turnout of spectators generated strong demand for tickets. In this context, the Italian Competition Authority intervened to highlight the importance of greater transparency in price communication. Specifically, it urged the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP), the tournament’s organizer, to clearly and promptly inform consumers—right from the first point of contact—about the existence and amount of non-optional service fees added to the base ticket price.
Following the Antitrust’s request, the FITP updated the “Buy Tickets” section of the official Internazionali d’Italia website, adding a clear notice about the presence of a service fee next to the pricing details for the various ticket options. This non-optional fee may range from €1.50 to up to 7% of the selected ticket price. Similar updates were also made on the websites of other events organized by the Federation. Moreover, the Federation committed to applying the same changes across all its event portals by the end of June, ensuring that the exact amount of the service fee is visible from the very beginning of the purchase process.
The absence of such immediate information could have constituted an unfair commercial practice, as incomplete or unclear communication regarding the final price may impair consumers’ ability to make informed choices. It could lead them to believe they will pay less than the actual amount charged at the end of the purchase process. Consumer protection regulations—specifically Articles 20, 21, and 22 of the Italian Consumer Code—prohibit practices that unduly influence purchasing decisions, the dissemination of misleading information, including on pricing, and the omission of essential information that consumers have a right to know before completing a purchase.
