After UK Resale Cap, NIVA Calls For States To Follow Suit And Ban Spec Tix

After the UK government made official its plans to cap prices on resale tickets, the National Independent Venue Association urged states to bring the idea across the Atlantic.

NIVA is also calling on states to pair the price cap with a ban on speculative ticketing.

Spec ticketing is back in the news following StubHub’s quarterly earnings call during which the company’s CEO Eric Baker said spec ticketing was “business as usual and nothing to see there.” Shares of the secondary ticketer fell more than 20% after the earnings report, with investors nervy about regulatory action and concerned that StubHub did not offer Q4 guidance.

“StubHub’s CEO could not be more wrong,” Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA, said. “Speculative tickets are not ‘business as usual.’ StubHub’s extractive business model is exactly why states across the country should ban speculative tickets and follow the UK and adopt resale price caps. Speculative listings push risk onto fans and independent stages while platforms collect billions. StubHub’s stock plunge after its first investor call shows what we already know: the public is losing trust, legislatures are stepping in, and ticket resale in the United States is on the brink of fundamental structural change. The era of unchecked price gouging and advertising fake tickets is ending, and real accountability is finally on the way.”

By way of example, NIVA offered numerous examples of speculative tickets being offered on numerous platforms, including StubHub. Bonnie Raitt tickets were being listed for $453 despite the presale not beginning until January. Tickets for a Minneapolis Trampled by Turtles performance were being sold, though the seat numbers on the listing do not exist at the venue.

NIVA and the Fix The Tix coalition intend to make a strong push for state-level ticket legislation in 2026. Federal efforts at ticketing reform are notoriously stagnant, which has prompted NIVA and other reform advocates to turn their focus to the states.