Free BNP Paribas Tickets Sold Online Against City Rules

Day nine was another smash at the BNP Paribas Open.

The tournament has attracted fans from across the globe, and many residents of Indian Wells have also caught the action for free thanks to city-sponsored tickets, but some may be bending the rules, said city officials.

It’s one of the benefits of living in Indian Wells. If you own property there, then you can sign up for free tickets.

Bring whomever you want, but just make sure to bring your ID — no problem.

However, selling the tickets — that’s a problem.

Clear, blue skies; sunshine, and world-class tennis star Rafael Nadal putting on a clinic, dominating the hard-court back and forth with Marcel Granollers.

It sure beats watching the match on television, right?

But as it goes sometimes, one bad seed is casting dark light on the rest.

“We did have one small incident that we heard about that was hearsay — that they were sold on eBay,” said Nancy Samuelson, a spokesperson for the city of Indian Wells.

Go figure? Free tickets being sold online for profit.

“We don’t have any repercussion at this point,” said Samuelson. “We’re going to review the policy this year.”

The free ticket program is sponsored by the city of Indian Wells — it’s not a tournament program, so tournament employees are not actually enforcing the rules at the gates.

If you want to get inside one of the suites though, that’s where you’re going to find a problem.

If you’re an Indian Wells resident, you must be in possession of a valid Indian Wells property owner identification card.

Until this year, it’s been the serve no one loses — no one faults.

Every morning of the tournament, residents have lined up outside of City Hall for a free seat at the BNP Paribas Open, but those tickets come with a catch — you have to be the one to use them, not the guy on Craigslist desperate for a bargain.

“We start pulling at 8:30 a.m., but there has been a little bit of a line,” said Samuelson. “So, I would recommend if you’re dying to go that day to get there as early as you possibly can, but no overnight camping — there’s an ordinance against that.”

For more information on how to get those free tickets, log onto www.cityofindianwells.org.