UK government urged to cap resale ticket prices to fight touting

The UK government have been urged by the Metropolitan Police to implement legislation that caps the prices of secondary ticket sales in order to help tackle fraud and touting.

The Met Police recently issued the ‘Ticket Crime: Problem Profile’ report, which says that “consideration must be given to introducing legislation to govern the unauthorised sale of event tickets”.

It goes on to read:

“The lack of legislation in this area enables fraud and places the public at risk of economic crime and the primary and secondary ticket market require regulation to ensure transparency, allowing consumers to understand who they are buying from and affording them better protection from ticket crime.

The lack of legislation outlawing the unauthorised resale of tickets and the absence of regulation of the primary and secondary ticket market encourages unscrupulous practices, a lack of transparency and fraud.”

Sharon Hodgson MP, advocate of a resale cap, told MusicWeek:

“This report has confirmed what those of us who have been campaigning for action on touting have known for a long time: that the secondary ticket market operates in the interests of a handful of shady dealers, rather than ordinary fans.

Ministers now need to take on board the advice from experts in the Police, put fans first, and take action to tackle ticket touts once and for all.”