Government must stop online touts and tighten rules on dynamic pricing to fix the broken ticketing industry, Which? warns

Four in 10 people worry about buying event tickets from resale sites, new Which? research has found, as the consumer champion calls on the government to fix the broken ticket industry by stopping online touts from charging inflated prices and tightening the rules on dynamic pricing.  

Ticket sales for major acts like Oasis, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have thrown the ticketing industry into the spotlight over the last year - with fans forced to battle misleading pricing, ticket touts and scammers to secure tickets to popular events.

The Oasis ticket controversy in particular dominated the headlines in August 2024 due to Ticketmaster’s use of ‘in demand’ pricing, which saw the cost of tickets skyrocket as fans were waiting to pay. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week ruled that Ticketmaster’s Oasis ticket sale could have breached consumer law and said it was consulting with the firm on improvements to its practices. 

Which? is now calling on Ticketmaster to refund the difference to fans who paid more than expected for their tickets. The CMA must make sure this happens so fans do not have to take Ticketmaster to court to get their money back.

The government has pledged to introduce stronger consumer protections for ticket purchases and is currently consulting on changes to ticket resales and on dynamic pricing - when prices are swiftly adjusted to match demand. Which? believes ministers must seize this opportunity to make ticketing fairer for fans.

Which? surveyed more than 4,000 people in March 2025 to find out more about their experience of secondary ticketing sites. Four in 10 (43%) said they had concerns about buying tickets on secondary sites - for example, that the ticket might be fake, a scam or not valid. 

These concerns are validated by the number of fans who experience issues with secondary sites. One in 10 (10%) people who bought tickets online said they purchased them on secondary ticketing websites - representing the millions of sales that happen on secondary sites such as Viagogo and Stubhub. 

One fifth (21%) of those who bought tickets through secondary sites or social media experienced an issue. Worryingly, six in 10 (60%) of those who experienced issues with their ticket never made it to the event - they were either refused entry at the venue, or their ticket was either fake, invalid, or never arrived. Three in 10 (30%) said they were charged additional fees at the venue. 

Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) did not believe they paid a reasonable price for their tickets bought on secondary websites and around a fifth (19%) do not think that the total price - including fees - was transparent when using a secondary site. 

 Which? recently found tickets listed for all of Beyoncé's six UK dates on both Stubhub International and Viagogo the day before the tour's general sale. On Viagogo, the tickets were listed for between £118 and £2,961, while on Stubhub International the highest price was a staggering £23,899. According to Ticketmaster – the tour's official ticket platform – the face value cost of tickets was from £71.60 to £950.

Which? believes that there are several steps the government should take to make live event ticketing fairer and more affordable for consumers. 

The government must take action to shut down online ticket touts by introducing a price cap to ensure that tickets can only be re-sold on secondary sites at the original price paid - the ticket’s face value plus any fees, which should be shown up front in the ticket price. Which?’s survey found that a cap only allowing tickets to be resold for face value plus any fees is the most popular cap choice for consumers and ticket sellers. This cap should apply across all events - music, sports and theatre.

Which? also believes that resale platforms should be required by law to verify that the seller owns a ticket before it can be listed on their site and should also verify key information about a ticket, such as the original price and location within the venue. They should also be responsible for preventing the resale of tickets when the primary seller has prohibited resale.

Which? also believes the government should tighten the rules on dynamic pricing - by banning the practice being used to increase the price of tickets during the transaction process. To ensure that ticketing sites adhere to these rules, a tougher enforcement regime should be introduced. 

This should include ensuring there are tough penalties in place for any businesses which break the law. The particular problems in this market may also require a licensing regime which should extend to social media sites or pop ups to avoid illegal sales shifting to these sites. 

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

“Music, sport and theatre fans currently face an uphill battle against misleading pricing, ticket touts and scammers to secure tickets to popular events. 

“The government must fix the broken ticketing industry and ensure consumers can buy tickets online without worrying about ticket touts or that prices could rise unexpectedly during the checkout process. 

“Which? is calling for the government to stop online touts by introducing a price cap to ensure that tickets can only be re-sold on secondary sites at the original price. Ministers should also ban dynamic pricing being used to increase prices during the checkout process - and ensure that there is an effective enforcement regime in place to make sure businesses stick to the rules.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors 

Research

Yonder, on behalf of Which?, conducted an online nationally representative survey of 4,133 UK adults aged 18+. Fieldwork took place between 7th and 17th March 2025.

Consultation responses

Read more about Which?’s consultation responses on dynamic pricing and secondary ticketing here. This link will go live on 3rd April. 

Additional information

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour tickets listed on resale sites ahead of general sale

Which? calls on Oasis and Ticketmaster to refund fans hit by inflated ‘in demand’ ticket prices

In its announcement about the Oasis ticket sales (link here), the CMA said it has not found evidence that an algorithmic pricing model - with ticket prices adjusted automatically in real time according to changing conditions like high demand - was used during the Oasis ticket sales. However, the regulator is concerned that Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by not informing consumers that there were two categories of standing tickets at different prices, with all of the cheaper standing tickets sold first before the more expensive standing tickets were released, resulting in many fans waiting in a lengthy queue without understanding what they would be paying and then having to decide whether to pay a higher price than they expected.

Ticketmaster said it does not use any form of algorithmic or surge pricing which changes prices automatically in response to consumer demand. However, it said that sometimes, event organisers change prices after the initial ticket sale, but all such changes are made by a human being. 

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. 

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