The UK government is drafting a ban on reselling tickets above face value
A draft bill would make it illegal to resell live event tickets for more than they cost and would cap resale platform fees. It matters to anyone who buys tickets for a night or a festival.
Photo: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0. Illustrative, not an image from the story
What happened
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is drafting legislation to ban the resale of live event tickets above their original price and to cap the service fees that resale platforms charge. Reports in July and September 2026 say a draft bill will be brought forward in the current parliamentary session.
Why it matters
Fans of drum and bass buy a lot of tickets for nights, festivals and one off events, and sell outs are common. The proposals say a ticket cannot be resold above its original cost including unavoidable fees, and that a seller cannot resell more tickets than they bought. The Competition and Markets Authority could fine platforms that break the rules up to 10 per cent of their global turnover.
Who is involved
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is quoted in July saying "We will stamp out ticket touts who are causing misery." Resale marketplaces are against it: TicketNews reports that Viagogo warns it could increase fraud and that StubHub chief executive Bob Kupbens says the cap could force the company out of the UK. Officials are also looking at how to stop sellers operating offshore.
What happens next
The draft bill goes to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee before it can become law. No date for that has been announced.
