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How it happens6:31UK government proposes ban on overselling of tickets to entertainment and sporting events
Be you fight for places in a Toronto Blue Jays playoff game or in despair updating screens for frame in Taylor Swift's blockbuster Eras Tour, the heartbreak has become all too familiar, with tickets disappearing within minutes and then reappearing on resale sites for far more than their original price.
But the UK government is trying to crack down on resales that are costing fans the opportunity to see their favorite artists and crews. Proposed legislation announced Wednesday would make it illegal to resell tickets to concerts, theater, comedy, sports and other live events for more than their original face value.
“Too long, ticket [scalpers] “robbed fans by using bots to snatch up batches of tickets and resell them at exorbitant prices,” Lisa Nandy, Britain's secretary of state for culture, media and sport, said in a statement.
The move follows a call from musicians last Thursday, when artists including Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Radiohead called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to crack down on “extortionist and harmful” websites that resell concert tickets.
The measures could save fans around £112 million a year ($206 million) and result in an additional 900,000 tickets being purchased directly from primary sellers each year, according to the UK government.
