Los Angeles residents hoping to get a discount on the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games were left wanting due to the outrageous prices offered during the “presale ticket lottery” this past weekend.

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Lorraine Ali explored how LA28 and city officials misled local residents into believing they would get first dibs and fair prices for a once-in-a-lifetime event taking place in their own backyard.

The LA28 committee described the arrival of the Games as a boon for the city’s inhabitants, with unifying statements: “Creating the Games together!” Mayor Karen Bass promoted a “Games for All” vision. And we’ve been told over and over that tickets to events would start as low as $28, the 24% ticketing fee included!

The presale ticket lottery for those residing in ZIP Codes around LA28 venues also meant we would have a fair shake at getting into the Games, right? Finally, an affordable way into a major L.A. sporting event for those of us who are not Casey Wasserman, the multimillionaire chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Local residents quickly realized those promises were empty when the presale lottery went live last Thursday, with major events like artistic gymnastics marked “unavailable,” including the opening ceremony. Swimming offered tickets at $1,116.27 per seat, and the closing ceremony at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum went for $4,961.20 a pop.

Almost all of the lower prices went for preliminary events, with few (if any) offerings for finals or medal events.

“By Monday, there were only a handful of events accessible for less than $150 a ticket (handball, women’s cricket, Judo). The women’s basketball bronze-medal game started at $407.17 a ticket,” noted Ali.

The only “free” option locals have been offered to see the events is to volunteer their time to work … for free.

According to the New York Post, local residents were also subjected to exorbitantly high “service fees.”

Fans scrambling to secure LA28 tickets are getting a nasty surprise at checkout – with hundreds of dollars in fees suddenly tacked onto their orders.

The first drop of presale tickets for locals to attend the 2028 Summer Olympics dropped on Thursday and Angelenos couldn’t believe the final purchase price included a whopping 24% service fee.

Tickets to the highly-anticipated Games start at just $28 but can cost as much as $2,000 depending on the event or the package.

Lori Rovner of Manhattan Beach told LAIst that she finally purchased her desired 16 tickets that originally cost $2,100, only to have the final tally come out to $2,604.63 due to a service fee of  $504.63

“It’s insane,” Rovner said. “I don’t understand what the service is.”

People on social media immediately expressed their frustration, with some noting that the price differences for locals between Paris24 and LA28.