Summary and Background
486.This Chapter concerns the online secondary ticketing market. That is, the market where tickets for sporting, recreational and cultural events are re-sold having been first bought or otherwise acquired on the primary market from an event organiser. It concerns:
Information which must be provided in respect of a ticket to its buyer, when that ticket is resold online;
The original terms and conditions of a ticket;
Reporting of criminal activity on online ticket marketplaces; and
A review of the online secondary ticketing market.
487.Currently, there are no provisions in statute specifically regulating the online secondary ticketing market. There is, however, other legislation which applies generally and in so doing covers the market, including:
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3134) which provide that certain information must be provided when goods, a service or digital content are sold by a trader to a consumer, including sales concluded at a distance (e.g. online);
Section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which regulates the re-selling of tickets for certain football matches;
The Fraud Act 2006 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1277) which aim to protect buyers from misleading or fraudulent sales; and
The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/2083) (which are to be replaced by Part 2 of the Act once Part 2 comes into force) which provide that terms in a consumer contract must be fair.
488.This Chapter applies to tickets for all recreational, sporting and cultural events taking place in the UK(49).
This Chapter is, however, without prejudice to any existing restrictions on the resale of tickets, such as that set out in section 166 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
