New LCSD booking measure aims to deter touting

Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Manda Chan on Friday said priority access for people using iAM Smart in facility bookings could combat touting. The remarks came after her department announced a new measure that from July 7, users of SmartPLAY who log into the app via iAM Smart can book facilities from 7am every day – 15 minutes earlier than other users. Speaking to RTHK, Chan said the 15-minute interval was the active period for touters to make bookings using computer programmes or automated tools. “Many people are using iAM Smart. Its login requires authentication by either fingerprint or facial recognition,” she said. “With such a method, the authentication for each account is strict. The chance of touters using iAM Smart to snatch facilities is significantly lower, so the measure will help combat touting.” Chan also said a 15-minute window would be enough for general users to complete bookings. “We noticed in our system that the booking process for facilities can be done within 15 minutes no matter what. Our data showed that the peak period is exactly this 15 minutes,” she said. “In our system, each booking with payment should be finished in around 10 minutes. So a 15-minute window should be enough for general users to book facilities they want with SmartPLAY through iAM Smart.” Chan said there are more than 1.3 million registered SmartPLAY users, and more than 60 percent of them use iAM Smart. Nearly 4,000 SmartPLAY accounts have been suspended for suspected touting activities since October last year, she said, warning that any suspicious account would be suspended for 360 days. DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng, a member of the Legislative Council’s Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports, welcomed the new measure. But he said insufficient leisure and sports facilities remain a problem amid higher demand among users. Edited by Edmond Fong