Ticket resales 'to be capped at face value' under crackdown on rip-off prices

The authorities is reportedly acceptable to prohibition the resale of tickets for unrecorded events supra their look value.

Music and athletics fans person agelong complained astir unrecorded lawsuit tickets being rapidly bought up lone to beryllium instantly relisted astatine grossly inflated prices.

The process is often carried retired utilizing bots - automated apps that repeatedly mimic customers to expanse up ample numbers of tickets arsenic soon arsenic they're released.

The radical operating them tin beryllium based anyplace successful the world.

A authorities consultation had sought views connected a projected headdress of 30% supra cost, but The Guardian and Financial Times accidental ministers are expected to acceptable the resale bounds astatine look value.

Service fees charged volition besides reportedly beryllium capped.

The authorities refused to remark erstwhile approached by Sky News, but it's believed an announcement could travel connected Wednesday.

Labour pledged successful their manifesto to enactment an extremity to rip-off tickets and repeated the committedness erstwhile they came to power.

But determination has been small connection connected the argumentation since, with 7 months having gone by since a consultation ended.

Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Sam Fender, Iron Maiden, and Radiohead were among acts who past week urged the authorities to travel through and "restore religion successful the ticketing system".

The Football Supporters' Association, immoderate ticketing firms, and groups representing the theatre and euphony industries besides signed the statement.

Ticketmaster genitor company, Live Nation Entertainment, said it "fully supports" banning resale supra look worth and added that it already had specified a policy.

Some UK secondary ticketing sites already person a look worth headdress oregon bounds the mark-up. Others let prices acold successful excess of look value.

For example, Viagogo and Stubhub are listing tickets for Radiohead's Saturday amusement successful London from astir £400 for seating and from implicit £700 for standing.

The authoritative terms was £85 for lasting and betwixt £75 to £195 for seating (plus fees).

Those prices are astir pouch alteration compared with immoderate of the amounts quoted earlier this twelvemonth for the Oasis reunion shows - user radical Which? recovered tickets arsenic precocious arsenic £4,442.

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StubHub International warned a terms headdress would "condemn fans to instrumentality risks to spot their favourite unrecorded events".

"With a terms headdress connected regulated marketplaces, summons transactions volition determination to achromatic markets," said a spokesperson.

"When a regulated marketplace becomes a achromatic market, lone atrocious things hap for consumers. Fraud, fear, and zero recourse."

Viagogo made akin claims and said regulated terms caps has "repeatedly failed fans".

"In countries similar Ireland and Australia fraud rates are astir 4 times higher than successful the UK arsenic terms caps propulsion consumers towards unregulated sites," said a spokesperson.