In a landmark move for British entertainment fans, the Government has declared war on ticket touts, announcing sweeping new regulations that will make it illegal to resell tickets for profit. This decisive action aims to dismantle the 'industrial-scale' touting operations that have long plagued music, sports, and theatre enthusiasts.
What the New Rules Mean for Fans and Touts
The proposed legislation will outlaw the resale of tickets for concerts, theatre, comedy, and sports events at any price higher than their original cost. The permitted price is defined as the face value plus any unavoidable fees, such as service charges. To prevent loopholes, service fees on resale platforms will also be capped.
Furthermore, individuals will be barred from reselling more tickets than they were originally entitled to purchase. Platforms themselves will now bear a legal obligation to monitor and enforce compliance, creating a tougher environment for professional touts who use automated bots to buy up huge batches of tickets the moment they go on sale.
Industry and Artist Reactions: A Welcome Change
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy left no room for doubt about the government's position, stating: "For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices. They've become a shadow industry... This Government is putting fans first."
This sentiment was echoed by Dan Smith, frontman of the band Bastille, who has been a vocal campaigner for reform. "It's such great news that the Government has stepped up," Smith said. "This will allow more genuine fans to see their favourite artists perform at face value prices."
The move follows a concerted campaign by major artists including Coldplay, Dua Lipa, and Radiohead, who recently urged the government to honour its pledge.
Enforcement, Savings, and Opposition
The new rules will apply to any platform reselling to UK fans, including secondary sites and social media. The consequences for non-compliance are severe; the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will have the power to issue fines of up to 10% of a business's global turnover.
According to government analysis, these measures are projected to have a significant positive impact:
- Savings of approximately £112 million for fans each year.
- An average price reduction of £37 per resale ticket.
- An extra 900,000 tickets purchased directly from primary sellers annually.
However, not all parties are in agreement. A spokesperson for the resale platform Viagogo warned that price caps have led to higher fraud rates in other countries like Ireland and Australia, arguing that "the solution is open distribution" between primary and resale platforms to verify tickets and combat bots.
Despite this opposition, with typical mark-ups on the secondary market exceeding 50% and some tickets being resold for up to six times their face value, the government is pressing ahead with what it calls a fan-first policy.
