New Measures to Enforce Resale Ticket Price Caps and Combat Scalping

According to a study conducted by the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), tickets sold on the resale market are generally marked up by over 50%.

Investigations carried out by Trading Standards have revealed instances of tickets being resold for as much as six times their initial price.

Fans of music acts such as Coldplay and Taylor Swift have expressed their frustrations that just minutes after tickets for their performances have sold out, resale tickets appeared online for thousands of pounds.

The government states that its consultation will gather opinions on limiting resale prices within a range, from the original cost to a maximum increase of 30%.

Ministers are also suggesting restrictions on the number of tickets that resellers can offer, capping them at the amount they are permitted to buy during the original ticket sale.

Additionally, they aim to enforce new legal requirements for ticket resale platforms and applications to ensure the accuracy of information they provide to users — with Trading Standards and the Competition and Marketing Authority tasked with enforcement.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy remarked: “We are taking measures to enhance consumer protections, prevent fans from being exploited, and guarantee that funds spent on tickets are reinvested in our fantastic live events sector, rather than being directed into the hands of unscrupulous scalpers.”

Alongside the consultation, ministers have initiated a request for evidence regarding dynamic pricing — which is often utilized to offer unsold tickets at reduced prices, but has resulted in some customers paying inflated prices for sought-after events.

“The call for evidence will gather opinions on how the ticketing system in the live events sector serves fans and whether the present framework offers adequate protection against unfair practices,” stated the government.

Last year, Oasis fans reported requests to pay as much as £350 per ticket, approximately £200 higher than originally advertised, due to demand.

Earlier, Noel and Liam Gallagher stated they were unaware that dynamic pricing would be implemented for their UK stadium performances scheduled for next summer — but acknowledged that the rollout of tickets did not proceed as intended.

Ticketmaster has asserted that it does not determine prices and that it is the responsibility of the “event organiser” who “has set these ticket prices based on their market value”.