The British government said it will ban resale of tickets for concerts, shows and sporting events sold above face value as part of efforts to stop modern touting that relies on technology, a minister announced.
Housing Minister Steven Reed told BBC News the government is determined to end what he called the scandal of ticket touts and will publish more detailed proposals in the coming days. Officials said the measures are aimed at modern practices that force fans to pay steep mark-ups; ministers first expressed concerns about so‑called dynamic pricing last year.
Markets responded to early reports: shares in US company StubHub, which owns reselling giant Viagogo, fell about 14% on Monday after media coverage of a possible ban.
Automated purchases and bulk reselling have become common. Tickets for large festivals and high-demand tours — such as Glastonbury and headline acts like Taylor Swift, Oasis and Radiohead — frequently sell out online in minutes and then reappear on resale sites at much higher prices. Touts use automated programs, or bots, to jump online queues and buy tickets in bulk. One example shown on resale sites was a standing ticket for Radiohead originally priced at £85 being listed for roughly £682 on Viagogo.
Artists have pushed for action because they receive none of the resale mark-ups, which benefit initial buyers and resale platforms that also charge fees. Radiohead, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Iron Maiden, PJ Harvey and Mark Knopfler were among those who signed an open letter in Which? magazine urging the UK government to tackle what they called the extortionate secondary ticketing market and asking for a resale price cap to be included in the next King’s Speech outlining 2026 policy.
New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has also warned about predatory ticket practices ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when New York venues will host matches.
Resale platforms have pushed back. Viagogo warned a ban or strict caps could drive buyers to illegal secondary markets and increase fraud, and suggested verified-ticket systems instead. The company argued price caps have failed elsewhere, claiming higher fraud rates in countries with caps such as Ireland and Australia, and recommended more market competition to lower prices.
UK reports have suggested possible policy options including a cap around 30% above face value or a full ban on selling above face value combined with limits on platform fees. Labour MP Chris Bryant said the party’s manifesto commits to tackling abuses in the secondary market and ministers are deciding how to proceed.
Separately, the Competition and Markets Authority has opened investigations into pricing practices and mandatory additional charges on several online platforms, including StubHub and Viagogo.