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As a professor of applied sport finance, with over two decades of experience in academia and consultancy, I have closely observed the intricate dynamics of the sports industry. My work has often focused on the economic forces that shape this sector, and it is with this perspective that I view the current governmental deliberation on introducing price caps on ticket resale markets.
The recent experience surrounding the sale of tickets for Ireland’s inaugural National Football League (NFL) game in Dublin taking place on 29th September serves as a particularly pertinent and timely case study, offering a stark illustration of the potential pitfalls of such policies.
While the stated intention to “protect” fans is undoubtedly noble, analysis suggests that these measures risk inflicting more harm than good, not only for the fans they aim to serve but also for the long-term financial stability of rights holders across the UK sporting landscape.
NFL Dublin: online queues and social scams
The correlation between price caps on ticket resale and potential harm to sports fans was clearly demonstrated by the recent events in Ireland, a country where since 31st July 2021 it has been illegal to sell tickets for live events, matches and concerts for more than face-value.
In June, tickets for the highly anticipated NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park went on sale with more than 600,000 fans flooding Ticketmaster’s site hoping to get seats for the country’s first NFL’s game. With a capacity of 76,000 and substantially less available on general sale, plus strict ticket resale caps in place ensuring no safe marketplace alternatives, thousands turned to unregulated social media platforms, where fraudulent scams spiked.
The empirical evidence was compelling and serves as a critical warning. Following the on-sale date for the Dublin NFL game, digital bank Revolut reported an alarming 80 per cent increase in ticket scam victims among its Irish customers in the fortnight that followed. This was accompanied by a 48% rise in the amount of money lost to ticket-related scams.
This aligns with broader independent research which indicates that ticket fraud in jurisdictions with resale price caps, such as Victoria, Australia, and Ireland, is nearly four times higher than in the UK (Bradshaw Advisory, 2025).
Should the UK’s ticket fraud rates escalate to similar levels, the estimated cost to consumers could reach a staggering UK£1.2 billion per year. The Irish NFL experience is not an isolated incident but a clear manifestation of a systemic issue where well-intentioned regulations inadvertently create a fertile environment for criminal activity.
Unintended consequences for the sports industry
While price caps are often presented as a panacea for issues like touting and fan protection, their well-intentioned nature belies overlooked implications, as the NFL Dublin ticket scenario underscores.
By making it harder for fans to resell tickets safely and legally, these caps inadvertently empower fraudsters who thrive in unregulated environments built on blind trust. Fans are then deprived of safe, regulated, resale options that offer transparency and robust consumer protection.
Instead of the intended quick fix, price caps will create more pain for fans and the entire sporting industry. A formal risk assessment should take place based on evidence so that reforms actually protect fans. And the harm extends beyond individual consumers to the very business models that underpin major UK sporting events.
Consider Wimbledon, arguably the most prestigious tennis event globally. The All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) recent warning to the government regarding the proposed price caps is not without merit. The sale of debenture seats is a critical funding mechanism for Wimbledon, having raised over UK£500 million for essential venue upgrades enhancing fan facilities and overall experience.
This system, which allows for the legal resale of premium seats, is fundamental to the tournament’s financial viability. Implementing a price cap threatens to undermine demand for primary debenture issuance by limiting the ability of holders to recoup their investment from reselling tickets when unable to attend.
Countering the root causes of market dysfunction
It is important to note that price caps offer no solution to pervasive and frustrating issues such as bots or allocation fairness.
Bot activity originates in the primary market, where tickets are initially sold. Existing legislation, such as the UK government’s 2018 ban on bot technology, is in place, yet its enforcement remains woefully inadequate, with no prosecutions made in seven years.
Moreover, evidence from the US, cited by the Competition Market Authority, suggests that for some events, as much as 85 to 90 per cent of a venue’s inventory is already sold or allocated before public internet sales commence, locked up in presales, sponsorship deals, VIP access, or exclusive credit card offers.
This inherent lack of supply is a significant driver of rising prices. Without addressing the fundamental issues of transparency and monopolistic control over ticketing, fans will continue to feel excluded, irrespective of resale policy. The challenges seen with the Dublin NFL game’s ticket sales underscore that price caps do not address these deeper structural problems.
If policymakers genuinely seek to assist fans, their focus must shift towards targeting the root causes of market dysfunction. This entails rigorously enforcing existing laws against bots and speculative selling, enhancing transparency regarding ticket availability, and fostering greater competition within the primary ticketing market.
This includes transparency and access between primary and secondary points of sale and the introduction of open ticketing technology that allows different ticketing systems to “talk to each other” and verify tickets at every stage.
In the airline industry, if you buy a ticket directly from the airline or via an aggregator, like Expedia, both systems are integrated. In live event ticketing, primary and secondary markets are generally disconnected, leaving event owners and consumers unable to verify tickets against original purchases.
In conclusion, good intentions do not always translate into sound policy. If our collective aim – and that of the government – is to genuinely protect fans, we must construct systems that prioritise safety, access, and competition.
Imposing restrictions that inadvertently push fans into the perilous shadows of unregulated markets is counterproductive and helps no-one other than the fraudsters who profit. A resale cap may appear to be a straightforward solution but, in reality, as demonstrated by the recent challenges in Dublin, it merely displaces the problem, creating new and often more severe challenges elsewhere.
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