UK Government Moves To Ban Ticket Reselling Above Face Value, Ending Years Of Fan Frustration

Australia isn’t the only one staring down the barrel of extortionate resale culture, the UK government is officially stepping in. Ministers have confirmed they’ll move to ban ticket reselling above face value, marking a major shift in the long running battle between fans, artists and industrial scale ticket touts.

BBC reports that the decision follows years of inflated prices across music, sport, comedy and theatre, where listings regularly appear at double, or sometimes six times the original cost. Last week, more than two dozen major artists, including Sam Fender, Dua Lipa and Coldplay, urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to stop “touts from fleecing fans.” Their call clearly hit home.

Under the plan, tickets can only be resold at their original price, with additional limits placed on fees to stop platforms side stepping the rules. The UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) says ending large scale touting could save fans an average of £37 per ticket, adding up to more than £112 million a year collectively.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed called the issue “such an important” one, adding: “We are committed to outlawing it.”

Platforms like Viagogo and StubHub have long argued that tight caps push fans onto unsafe, unregulated channels, but the overwhelming response from the industry is in favour of the move. Which?, the Football Supporters’ Association, and key music and theatre organisations all signed the open letter calling for reform. Which?’s policy director Rocio Concha labelled the change “great news,” urging the government to follow through with legislation.

Meanwhile, Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster’s parent company has already implemented face value limits for UK resale, calling the new plan “another major step forward for fans.”

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has previously found that secondary tickets are typically marked up by more than 50%, and Trading Standards has uncovered cases of resale pricing hitting six times the original value.

With the new laws, the UK is preparing to put the brakes on an industry that’s thrived on scarcity, demand, and fan desperation and for the people actually attending the shows? It’s long overdue.