Ticket touting

Ticket touting is an emotive subject on which very strong and polarised views are held, by those involved in the selling of tickets for sports fixtures, concerts and theatres, and by some of the people who go to the events. There is no consensus as to whether "touting" means all reselling of tickets, all reselling not authorised by the original issuers, or only the shady or less reputable activities. This secondary market in tickets is not a new phenomenon, but the growth of the Internet has transformed and expanded it, so that tickets can now be bought and sold on an enormous scale in a very short time, and it is easy for individuals to trade in tickets from their own homes in their spare time. This report surveys the whole ticket market, attitudes to secondary selling, the scale of the secondary market, legislation relevant to secondary selling, and what the industries have done to tackle touting. The Committee agrees with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that regulatory intervention should only be introduced as a last resort. A middle way, whereby those responsible for providing events would be able to share in the profits which can now be made in the secondary market, is emerging as a possible way forward. This move towards constructive dialogue between creators and secondary marketers is welcomed, and the Committee exhorts all interested parties to get involved and seek a voluntary solution.