Full Breakdown
D.C. Council Approves RESALE Act to Tame Ticket Scalping
7/15/2026, 12:03:40 PM
Core Event
The District of Columbia Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Act. The legislation bans the use of bots to purchase tickets, prohibits “speculative” tickets sold before they exist, and blocks “surveillance pricing” that tailors prices to individual shoppers. Resale tickets may carry a 10 % price cap, must display the original purchase price, and any reseller handling 50 + tickets must register as a business. The rules would become effective on Jan. 1, pending a 30-day congressional review period.
Background & Context
Concert venues and artists have long blamed the secondary market for inflated resale prices. A federal jury’s April ruling that Ticketmaster operates an illegal monopoly has intensified scrutiny of primary-market pricing, with industry observers linking high resale costs to Ticketmaster’s dominance.
Official Statements & Responses
Council Chairman Phil Mendelson emphasized consumer protection, saying the council wants “folks who are buying tickets to be protected from being gouged.” Live Nation expressed support, noting the bill targets “predatory resale sites and scalpers who scam fans and siphon millions…while contributing nothing back.”
Criticism & Opposition
A trade group representing resellers such as StubHub warned the act could push scalping underground and argued that primary-market pricing, not resale practices, drives high costs. Mari Johnson, director of the Ticket Policy Forum, warned that “fraud and scams will skyrocket” and that fans will lose access to live events.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We want folks who are buying tickets to be protected from being gouged,” — Phil Mendelson, D.C. Council Chairman
- “When a $40 ticket has been scooped up by a scalper and then resold for 500 and all that money leaves D.C., that’s a bad thing,” — Audrey Fix Schaefer, I.M.P. Concerts
- “Fraud and scams will skyrocket. Prices will not get cheaper at the box office. And fans are going to have less access to the live events that they love.” — Mari Johnson, Ticket Policy Forum
- “ Live Nation previously told News 4, “We support legislation that addresses the real issues in ticketing: predatory resale sites and scalpers who scam fans and siphon millions from the live event experience while contributing nothing back.” — Live Nation
