Professor Mike Waterson's secondary ticketing review published by the Government

The Government has published an independent report by Warwick Department of Economics Professor Mike Waterson into the consumer protection measures concerning online secondary ticketing facilities. Professor Waterson was appointed to write the report by the Secretaries of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and Culture, Media and Sport.

Professor Waterson led the independent review which sought to assess the effectiveness of consumer protection measures applicable to sellers and purchasers of tickets for music, sporting and cultural events in the UK. It also aimed to identify any problems for consumers and potential ways to address them.

The report was commissioned after the Consumer Rights Act 2015 placed a statutory duty on the Secretary of State “to review, or arrange for a review of, consumer protection measures applying to the re-sale of tickets for recreational, sporting or cultural events in the UK through secondary ticketing facilities.

Professor Waterson said;

“This review was challenging, and a lot of work, although I had the assistance of a team of civil servants. I met many interesting people, with very differing views. I managed to get some economics into it, but also had to think seriously about questions of implementation, which are less often considered by economists.”

Some of the main recommendations set out in the report are:

· Secondary ticketing platforms should ensure that sellers on their platforms fully observe the rules set out in the Consumer Rights Act – this means including information such as the face value of the ticket and the exact seat location, and any restrictions on the user of the ticket (e.g. age).

· Primary ticket vendors should guard against the possibility of mass purchase by individuals who have no intention of attending the event.

· Primary market players need to increase transparency and come together to standardise the way in which information on the range of available ticket outlets and clear pricing information is made available to the public.

Baroness Neville Rolfe said;

You can read the full report here.