A crackdown on ticket touting ahead of the 2028 European Championship will form part of plans designed to make the Republic of Ireland’s co-host, the UK, the “go-to destination” for hosting major sporting events, their government said.
The unauthorised reselling of tickets for specific events, such as Euro 2028, could become a criminal offence under current proposals.
The changes are designed to make it easier for the UK to bid for, secure and deliver such events, their Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said, adding a new sporting framework is being developed to meet the requirements of international federations and event owners.
The UK government is considering potential bids to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the 2040s and golf’s Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s.
Any attempt to host the Olympics for the first time since London 2012 would consider the potential cost, socioeconomic benefit and the likelihood of its success, the DCMS said.
Britain has already backed bids to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletics Championships in 2029.
By moving to outlaw unauthorised resales for certain events, the hope is to crack down on “exploitative” touts so more tickets are sold to fans at face value.
It comes ahead of the European Championship, which will take place across the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2028, and follows a bill backed by the Scottish parliament designed to restrict ticket resales for the competition.
The bill will ban the unauthorised sale of Euros tickets for more than the face value, or with a view to making a profit. Ireland banned ticket touting in 2021 but on Monday it was reported that after five years in law, no one has been prosecuted for ticket touting here.
It will also make ticket touting and unauthorised street trading and advertising illegal, as well as grant powers to enforce such offences.
If the British government is 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.
In November, the country announced plans to make it illegal to resell tickets to concerts, theatre, comedy, sport and other live events for more than their original cost.
A UK government spokesperson previously said it remains committed to stamping out ticket touting “once and for all”.
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