Gig goers and sports fans will have more chance to see their favourite stars in 2018 as the Government cracks down on touts using “bots” to bulk buy tickets for resale on secondary ticketing sites.
New legislation will ban ticket touts from using automated software to dodge security measures and snap up more tickets than allowed by event organisers, only to sell them on at hugely inflated prices. A new criminal offence, to be brought forward thanks to a provision in the Digital Economy Act, will mean those who break the law will face an unlimited fine. This places the UK at the forefront of the fight against touts exploiting real fans.
The legislation recently moved one step closer as Government notified the European Commission of its plans to take forward the proposals.
It comes as London musical Hamilton recently saw tickets being advertised on the secondary ticketing market for up to £6,000. Artists including Adele and Ed Sheeran have also been targeted by professional touts.
Matt Hancock, minister for the creative industries, said: “We’re determined to make sure 2018 is the year we help real fans get the chance to see their favourite music and sports stars at a fair price. We’ll be acting to stamp out the growing problem of touts misusing technology to scoop up vast numbers of tickets only to sell them on at rip-off prices.
“Our work, together with improvements by industry, will help make the market more transparent and mean a great year for Britain’s thriving live events scene.”
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