UK to ban resale of tickets above face value

The UK government will prohibit the resale of concert, show, and sports event tickets above face value, targeting automated ticket touting and inflated pricing on resale platforms.

By Claire Donnelly1 min read

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The UK government plans to ban the resale of tickets for live events at prices above face value. This measure aims to stop automated bots from securing tickets and reselling them at inflated rates.

Resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub are under scrutiny for charging high fees and enabling price markups. The Competition and Markets Authority has opened investigations into pricing practices and mandatory charges.

Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, stated it already limits resale in the UK to face value. The company supports the government's plan as a step toward fairer access for fans. The move follows concerns over exploitative pricing and bot-driven ticket acquisition.