Ticket touts face UK crackdown after Oasis outrage
UK ministers are set to outlaw the resale of tickets for live events at prices above their original face value, in a move aimed at tackling professional touts and secondary ticket platforms like Viagogo and StubHub.
The crackdown, due to be announced this week, represents the most aggressive intervention yet in a market long criticised for putting fans at the mercy of inflated prices.
The decision follows widespread outrage over tickets for last year’s Oasis reunion tour, when fans found themselves paying thousands of pounds for Wembley Stadium seats originally priced under £200.
Some resale listings exceeded £4,000, sparking complaints from music fans and prompting a government consultation on price caps earlier this year.
While initial proposals considered a 30 per cent limit above face value, ministers are now expected to implement a full ban on resale above the original purchase price, covering concerts, sport, theatre, and comedy events.
Service fees will also be capped to prevent resale platforms from circumventing the law through hidden costs, although the exact ceiling hasn’t yet been confirmed.
What’s more, anyone reselling tickets will be restricted from selling more than they were originally entitled to buy, targeting large-scale touting operations often run with automated bots.
Industry pushback
The proposed changes have been met with strong opposition from major secondary ticketing platforms.
StubHub International warned that capping resale prices could push transactions onto unregulated black markets, saying: “With a price cap on regulated marketplaces, ticket transactions will move to black markets.
:When a regulated market becomes a black market, only bad things happen for consumers. Fraud, fear, and zero recourse.”
Viagogo expressed similar concerns, arguing that price caps have repeatedly failed fans in other countries.
A spokesperson said: “Evidence shows price caps have repeatedly failed fans, in countries like Ireland and Australia fraud rates are nearly four times higher than in the UK as price caps push consumers towards unregulated sites.
“The solution is open distribution: connecting primary and resale platforms to verify tickets. This allows the sharing of critical information to identify illegal bot activity and eliminate fraud.”
Despite industry pushback, artists and consumer groups have strongly supported government action.
The likes of Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Radiohead, all previously issued an open plea to Keir Starmer, calling for a crackdown on “extortionate and pernicious” ticket resale sites.
Campaigners estimate that touts cost fans roughly £145m a year in inflated ticket prices, with one in five tickets ending up on resale platforms.
Regulatory crackdown
The crackdown forms part of a broader government effort to tighten consumer protection online.
On Tuesday, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced investigations into StubHub, Viagogo, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Gold’s Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct, and Marks Electrical over potential breaches of consumer law relating to misleading sales tactics and automatically opting consumers into charges.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “At a time when household budgets are under constant pressure… it’s crucial that people are able to shop online with confidence, knowing that the price they see is the price they’ll pay, and any sales are genuine.”
In the UK ticketing industry, the controversy over Oasis and other high-demand events has already prompted transparency reforms.
Ticketmaster, for instance, will now provide fans with clearer information about tiered pricing, queue updates, and ‘platinum’ ticket costs following CMA scrutiny.
The changes aim to prevent the kind of confusion and inflated costs that have become common for popular live events.