In an effort to curb ticket scalping, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has put forth a new proposal to shut down ticket resale sites whose users oversell or fabricate ticketing information.
The proposal, published in a new CMA report, seeks to amend existing laws that allow users of sites like StubHub and Viagogo to post inaccurate information when selling tickets, or sell more tickets than they would legally be allowed to purchase from the original ticketing site. Amendments would let authorities act much quicker in preventing such sales from ever taking place. Additionally, the platforms themselves would be responsible in any situation where misleading information or overselling could occur, and they could be fined in such situations.
“The CMA’s report into secondary ticketing offers an interesting insight into the effectiveness of current regulation,” a Viagogo spokesperson told DJMag. “We welcome the exposure this gives to the strength of Viagogo’s customer protections and the recognition of the importance regulated platforms play in ensuring customer confidence when accessing live events.”
“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,” they continued.
The proposals are another step in the U.K.’s fight against scalping, following a plan proposed in 2017 to outlaw ticket buying bots for resale purposes.
