DC Bill Takes Aim At Scalpers

A new proposal in the Council of the District of Columbia takes an aggressive approach to stemming ticket scalping in the nation’s capital.

DC Councilmember Charles Allen is introducing the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Amendment Act of 2025, which would put in a price cap on resale tickets, ban speculative ticketing sales and require secondary resellers who move more than 50 tickets a year to register with the DC government.

“Right now, people who want to go to a live show in DC are competing against companies and scalpers who make a lot of money by immediately scooping up as many tickets as possible and re-selling them at a much higher cost than the venue or performer is asking,” Allen said at a press event at DC’s The Anthem. “A $40 ticket could end up reselling for over $1,000. The result is fewer fans can afford to see their favorite artist at one of the amazing venues DC has to offer. These middlemen are making millions by driving up prices, with the profit exclusively going to the scalper and never to the artists or venue. They aren’t performing on stage, they aren’t running a venue – they’re just making it all more expensive.”

Specifically, the bill would cap resale at face-plus-10%. Violations of the cap, the ban on spec ticketing and failure to register could result in a $10,000 fine under the proposal.

The bill also requires all-in pricing, specifically allows ticket issuers to set purchasing limits and requires issuers and secondary sellers to take reasonable steps to combat bot purchases.

“We want fans to be able to buy real tickets at the price the artists set, not get deceived and fleeced by scalpers,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, Director of Communications for I.M.P.. “The RESALE Act, when signed into law, will protect consumers from price gouging, allowing them to go to more shows, which is good for the artists, our venues, and the city. I believe the Office of the Attorney General takes this seriously, and considering the proposed fines, I think the scalpers and the platforms that host them will take this seriously, too.”