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Common Ground News

Are ticket bots illegal UK?

Author

Mia Phillips

Updated on March 01, 2026

Are ticket bots illegal UK?

In 2017, the U.K. passed a law that outlaws ticket bots used to exceed ticket purchase limits and requires secondary sellers to provide a unique ticket number with details of seats or standing location.

Besides, are bots illegal UK?

Ticket bots ban comes into force. Ticket touts are now banned from using automated software to buy more tickets for events than they are allowed, only to sell them on at inflated prices. New legislation that comes into force today means that that anyone caught breaking the law will face an unlimited fine.

One may also ask, is StubHub illegal UK? It is against the law to resell football tickets in England, at any price. The Premier League, by the way, maintains this list of known unauthorized ticket sites. You'll notice that StubHub and Viagogo are not on there, but you should also know they were both recently raided by the authorities.

People also ask, is ticket touting illegal UK?

UK law stipulates that the re-sale of concert tickets is not in itself illegal. But it is an offence to sell tickets in the street without a trading licence.

How do ticket buying bots work?

The secret of his success was in the servers the FBI confiscated: computer programs, also known as ticket bots, that automate the process of buying tickets online. The bots grab all the best tickets before human buyers, and then flip them for resale on other sites.

Is scalping illegal UK?

The process known as 'scalping' is now illegal due to legislation that has come in force today, and anyone found to be breaking this new law will face paying an unlimited fine.

How do you beat a Ticketmaster queue?

Log in on multiple devices at least twenty minutes before tickets go on sale. Refresh until you get the button to join the queue on each device. Once you're in the queue, don't refresh. If you have a long wait on all devices, try the automated phone system.

Is it illegal to buy tickets from a tout?

The general resale of football tickets is illegal under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 unless the resale is authorised by the organiser of the match. The government passed new legislation, in the form of the Digital Economy Act 2017, which bans touts from using 'bots' to buy tickets in bulk.

Is it illegal to sell football tickets UK?

Unlike other sorts of tickets, it is a criminal offence to resell tickets to football games without official authorisation in the UK, though it's not a law that is always enforced. A lack of enforcement, of course, is also a problem with the much lighter regulation that covers other kinds of ticket touting.

Is it illegal to sell tickets outside a venue?

In California, scalping of an "entertainment event" tickets is illegal unless the scalper as the written permission of the venue owner or operator.
Reselling sites provide a marketplace for law-breaking scalpers to make money. Resellers play a big role in the bots problem; without a space for reselling to occur, scalpers would have no place to sell their tickets. But the BOTS Act simply isn't being enforced.

Can you sell tickets for more than face value?

While weighing your options, consider that reselling tickets for up to face value is legal everywhere. And although anti-scalping laws aren't always vigorously enforced or easily understood, it's best to inform yourself as best as possible of your state and local laws before you look to turn a profit.

How do ticket touts get tickets first?

Ticket harvesting. Seasoned touts look to acquire or “harvest” tickets by a variety of means – for instance, by use of multiple identities or multiple credit cards. Others may use specialised software (sometimes known as “bots”) to scoop up tickets the instant they are made available.

What is a ticket aggregator?

Assuming you mean what I think you mean, it's a website that retrieves data from different ticket vendors and presents you with the results, often comparing them in terms of price, category, delivery time, travel time (in case of air tickets), etc. Either way getting a commission from that vendor for each sale.

Can concert tickets be resold?

Reselling tickets on Ticketmaster is pretty easy and fast. Not every event allows resellable tickets, so you can only sell on Ticketmaster if there's a “Sell” button in your “Order details.” For example, if you buy tickets over the phone or through a third party, Ticketmaster won't let you resell them.

Can you sell football tickets on eBay?

Most event tickets must be listed on StubHub, but some types of tickets are allowed to be listed on eBay. Concert, festival, sports, theatre and comedy tickets must be listed on StubHub, eBay's dedicated ticket marketplace.

Can I trust StubHub to buy tickets?

Yes, you can trust them. They gaurantee their tickets, even if you get screwed over by the buyer they'll give you tickets. You can trust them more than you can trust Cash or Trade where you have no recourse if someone screws you.

Is StubHub a good place to buy tickets?

Yes! StubHub is a legit and safe place to buy and sell tickets for any type of event. StubHub offers the “100% FanProtect Guarantee”, which promises that the tickets you buy on their site will be real and valid. Your tickets are safe if they're from StubHub!

Is buying from StubHub safe?

StubHub is a legitimate place to buy tickets but it does have its limitations. As long as you use the site with these in mind, you should have no problems.

Is StubHub illegal?

There is no federal law regarding ticket scalping in the United States, and StubHub encourages sellers to adhere to local state regulations in its terms of service. Some states have laws restricting resale only on the physical grounds of an event.

How are StubHub tickets delivered?

When you buy tickets tickets on StubHub, there are several ways sellers can deliver tickets. Sellers list tickets the same way they get them from the primary ticketing issuer. UPS tickets are delivered through UPS to an address of your choice. UPS can't deliver to PO boxes.

How can I verify my tickets are real?

If it's a genuine ticket, it will turn the front brown and you will see very little, if anything, on the back. A fake ticket will usually catch on fire but will always show a burnt mark on the back side.

How do you get a sold out ticket?

  1. Cash or Trade. Sites like Cash or Trade allow buyers to deal directly with sellers, and sellers at CoT sell tickets at face value (i.e. the selling price of the ticket) or below.
  2. Craigslist. People sell everything on Craigslist, including tickets.
  3. eBay and StubHub.

Where do scalpers get tickets?

The web-based tool — called Trade Desk — allows scalpers to seamlessly sync their Ticketmaster accounts (where they buy their tickets) with their online resale operation, quickly posting each seat to ticket reselling websites including StubHub, Vivid Seats and ticketmaster.com.

What's ticket fast?

TicketFast is the simplest and easiest way to buy tickets. By using TicketFast as a method of delivery, you receive the tickets via e-mail. You will get the tickets right away and you can print them out at any time ahead of the event.

How do I find the best seats for a concert?

With a center stage, the seated sections in the middle of the arena (same as mid court or center ice sections) will be the best and closest seats. With center stage shows there are no longer any seats considered behind the stage.

How do I get tickets from Ticketmaster fast?

19 Foolproof Tips for Conquering Ticketmaster
  1. There's hell, and then there's buying tickets through Ticketmaster, the decades-old gatekeeper to seemingly every popular event you've ever hoped to attend.
  2. Sign up for a credit card.
  3. Join a fan club.
  4. Don't forget to create a Ticketmaster account.
  5. Be ready at least ten minutes before a sale begins.
  6. Speed matters.

Are Ticketmaster resale tickets guaranteed?

Very much so, though not all events with tickets being resold on Ticketmaster are sold through the Ticketmaster Verified Tickets program. Verified Tickets are essentially guaranteed 100% authentic tickets being sold as you are being issued a new barcode upon the purchase of your tickets.

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Are ticket bots illegal UK?