Digital Economy Act 2017

Ticket sales

105 Secondary ticketing: duty to provide information about tickets

In section 90 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (duty to provide information about tickets), in subsection (4) omit “and” at the end of paragraph (c), and at the end of paragraph (d) insert “, and

(e) any unique ticket number that may help the buyer to identify the seat or standing area or its location.”

106 Power to create offence of breaching limits on internet and other ticket sales

(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations providing that it is an offence for a person in circumstances within subsection (2) to do an act within subsection (3).

(2) Circumstances are within this subsection if each of the following applies—

(a) tickets for a recreational, sporting or cultural event in the United Kingdom are offered for sale,

(b) a purchase may be made wholly or partly by a process that the purchaser completes using an electronic communications network or an electronic communications service, and

(c) the offer is subject to conditions that limit the number of tickets a purchaser may buy.

(3) An act is within this subsection if it consists in using anything that enables or facilitates completion of any part of a process within subsection (2)(b) with intent to obtain tickets in excess of a limit imposed by conditions within subsection (2)(c).

(4) The regulations may apply whether the offer is made, or anything is done to obtain tickets, in or outside the United Kingdom.

(5) The regulations—

(a) may be limited to particular circumstances within subsection (2), and to particular acts within subsection (3);

(b) may provide for an offence to be subject to an exception or defence;

(c) may make different provision for different areas.

(6) The regulations must provide in England and Wales and Scotland for an offence to be triable only summarily.

(7) The regulations may not provide for an offence to be punishable—

(a) with imprisonment,

(b) in Scotland, with a fine exceeding £50,000, or

(c) in Northern Ireland, if tried summarily, with a fine exceeding the statutory maximum.

(8) The power to make regulations under this section is exercisable by statutory instrument.

(9) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

(10) In this section “electronic communications network” and “electronic communications service” have the meaning given by section 32 of the Communications Act 2003.