LONDON, Jan 10 — The UK government announced on Friday that it wants to cap the cost of resale tickets for concerts and events under proposals to crack down on touts charging inflated prices.
The proposals come following widespread public anger a few months ago over the exorbitant cost of some tickets to see Britpop band Oasis’s reunion tour this year.
The government said it had noted “a concerning increase in fans wanting to get tickets for popular tours and events coming up against professional touts hoarding tickets and reselling at heavily inflated prices”.
It added in a press release that others had been “caught out by a lack of transparency over the system of dynamic pricing,” a practice in which official ticket sellers adjust prices based on demand.
Last August, rock and roll brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher announced their intention to put aside their differences and put Oasis back on the stage this summer.
Fans trying to buy tickets on official sites then encountered dynamic pricing that sent prices skyrocketing, while some tickets went for thousands of pounds on unofficial resale sites.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government said that tickets are often resold for up to six times their original price.
“From sports tournaments to Taylor Swift — all too often big events have been dogged by consumers being taken advantage of by ticket touts,” business minister Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement.
The government said a consultation would seek views on capping resale prices at up to 30 percent of their original price, and limiting the number of tickets resellers can list.
It also called for evidence as to whether the current dynamic pricing system “provides sufficient protection from unfair practices”. — AFP
