Webook sheds light on battle against fan exploitation

RIYADH: Ticket scarcity has long been accepted as a natural consequence of increasing demand for events, especially in Saudi Arabia, where rapid growth across multiple sectors has brought some of the world’s biggest sporting and entertainment events to the Kingdom.

Webook.com has established itself as the market leader for ticketing platforms in Saudi Arabia, serving everything from music concerts to football matches and wrestling premium live events. Its recently launched technology, TruFan, is designed to help reshape the ticketing experience.

The company’s co-founder and CEO, Nadeem Bakhsh, spoke to Arab News recently about the latest development and his vision for the future of ticket sales.

“The problem arises when bad actors exploit that scarcity by creating fraudulent listings,” Bakhsh said. “Our role is not to eliminate market dynamics, but to ensure they operate within a fair, transparent, and controlled environment.”

“As the market leader, we believe we have a responsibility to protect fair access, maintain trust in the ticketing ecosystem, and ensure that high demand benefits the industry rather than those seeking to exploit it,” he said.

TruFan is designed as a measurable system, with its performance evaluated across several key areas. These include access integrity, building on Webook.com’s existing anti-fraud infrastructure, as well as fan attendance, ticket utilization, fairer distribution, and retention and engagement, all aimed at enhancing fair access for supporters.

“When we say fair access, it does not mean that every fan will receive a ticket, but it means that genuine fans have a more credible and equitable opportunity to access tickets than bots, scalpers, fraudulent accounts, or users