Boost for events industry as CMA to clamp down on illegal ticket resale

The return of live events is set to be supported by new measures to protect consumers from ticket reselling.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has set out several recommended changes to the law and existing system of regulation for the reselling of tickets for live events.

The recommendations include a ban on platforms allowing resellers to sell more tickets for an event than they can legally buy from the primary market and ensuring platforms are fully responsible for incorrect information about tickets that are listed for sale on their websites.

In addition, the CMA has proposed a new system of licensing for platforms that sell secondary tickets that would enable an authority to act quickly and issue sanctions such as taking down websites, withdrawing a business’s right to operate in the sector and the imposition of ‘substantial’ fines.

George Lusty, senior director for consumer protection at the CMA, commented: “Over recent years we have taken strong action to protect people buying tickets from resellers online, and the secondary ticket websites are now worlds apart from those we saw before the CMA took action.

“While it is clear that concerns about the sector remain, there are limits to what the CMA and other enforcers can do with their current powers. With live music and sporting events starting back up we want the Government to take action to strengthen the current laws and introduce a licensing regime for secondary ticketing platforms.

“If adopted, these proposals will help prevent people getting ripped off by unscrupulous resellers online and we stand ready to help the Government to implement them.”

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