Ticket touts face criminal charges in Government crackdown ahead of Euro 2028
The UK Government is set to crack down on ticket selling, with plans to make the unauthorized resale of tickets for major events such as the 2028 Uefa European football championship a criminal offence.
The initiative is at the heart of a wider strategy that aims to position the UK as the preferred destination for hosting international sporting spectacles.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said these proposed legislative changes are designed to simplify the UK’s process of bidding for, securing and successfully delivering large-scale events.
A new sports framework is currently under development, aiming to meet the specific requirements of international federations and event owners.
The government is actively considering potential bids to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the 2040s, as well as golf’s Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s.
DCMS said any future Olympic bid, the first since London 2012, would involve careful assessment of potential costs, socioeconomic benefits and likelihood of success.
The government has pledged support for bids to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletic Championships in 2029.
By banning unauthorized resales for certain events, the government hopes to crack down on “exploitative” touts so more tickets are sold to fans at face value.
The regulation comes ahead of the European Championships taking place in the UK and Ireland in 2028 and follows a bill backed by the Scottish Parliament designed to restrict ticket sales for the competition.
The UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill will ban the unauthorized sale of Euro tickets for more than their face value or for the purpose of making a profit.
It would also make it illegal to sell tickets, unauthorized street trading and advertising, and give powers to enforce such offences.
DCMS said if the Government was successful in its bid to host the 2035 Fifa Women’s World Cup it could also become one of the events covered by new ticket resale rules.
The affordability of tickets for this year’s Fifa World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July, has come under criticism, including from the Scottish Prime Minister.
On Tuesday, John Swinney wrote to football’s governing body FIFA, urging it to introduce a “fair, affordable” ticketing model.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said: “Sport brings our country together like no other and never more so than when we welcome the world’s biggest major events.
“From London 2012 to the record-breaking Women’s Rugby World Cup we hosted last summer, we have proven time and time again that we are exceptional hosts.
“This Government is determined and ambitious.
“We want to continue to attract the most prestigious events in sport so that people up and down the country can show the best of Britain to the world, reaping all the economic and social benefits they bring for generations to come.”
There are concerns that the government’s pledge to ban ticket sales will be left out of the King’s speech on 13 May.
In November, it announced plans to make it illegal to sell tickets to concerts, theatre, comedy, sports and other live events at prices higher than their original cost.
A Government spokesman previously said they were determined to stamp out ticket touting “once and for all”.
