Is it fraud to sell tickets to an event you don’t have permission for?

Stuff reports:

Tickets for a Monster Slide event in Brisbane – with links to the controversial New Zealand attraction – are being sold without council approval.

Many sessions appear to have sold out for the Monster Slide Australia Tour to begin in a fortnight on Queensport Rd in the suburb of Murarrie, according to online ticketing agency Dash Tickets.

However, it is unclear whether the three-day event will go ahead after the Brisbane City Council confirmed the giant slip’n slide course had not been granted the necessary permits.

Is there a case for a fraud prosecution if an event promoter is selling tickets to an event which they don’t yet have approval to do? You should sell tickets once you have consent, not before.

Considering that they have yet to refund tickets for the Wellington event, it could be seen as a cynical money making ploy. Sell tickets to an event, fail to get consent, and rely on not everyone to ask for a refund. Or if they all do ask, then just liquidate the company after you have paid yourself a salary from it.

The company running the Australian event, Monster Slide Australia Pty Ltd, is confident it will be given the green light.

It is associated with Monster Slide in New Zealand, which was operated by company Trill Productions and its director Jamie Templeton.

Of course.

Many of tickets, costing up to $49, have been sold on the Dash Tickets website for the Easter event. Several sessions are sold out.

I also wonder if Dash Tickets should be investigated. Would they sell tickets knowingly to a fictitious event, so long as they get their cut? On the basis of two cancelled events in NZ and no refunds, then there are grounds to allege they should know that this is not a reputable event.

Monster Slide Australia Pty Ltd operations director Hannah Lockett said she was confident the event would happen.

It had “crucial” support from residents and local businesses, she said.

“The event is still in the final stages of getting its permit, however it’s important to note we have done months of research and planning and are working closely with the council on this and it is completely common for events to go on sale during these final stages,” Lockett said.

Really? What other events sell tickets before they have the consents for them?