In a press conference held at the Anthem on the afternoon of April 8, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen announced the Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment Amendment Act of 2025. The legislation aims to protect consumers from predatory scalpers on third-party websites including StubHub, Vivid Seats, Ticket Center, and SeatGeek.
Comparable to Maryland’s Senate Bill 539, which passed in April 2024, the RESALE Amendment Act would ban speculative ticket sales (where resellers sell tickets before they actually have them) and implementing steep fines—up to $10,000 per ticket—for violators. As proposed, the bill would cap the price of resold tickets to the total price of the initial ticket plus up to 10 percent; and people who frequently resell 50 or more tickets per year would be required to register annually with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection.
“Right now, people who want to go to a live show in D.C. 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 in a Tuesday press release. “A $40 ticket could end up re-selling 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.”
Backed by the National Independent Venues Association and more than 30 local venues, including D.C. Improv, the 9:30 Club, Howard Theatre, Union Stage, and the Hamilton, the law would also provide for civil penalties for resellers: $5,000 per ticket for the first violation and $10,000 per ticket for the second and subsequent violations, something that aims to deter resellers from overstepping the boundaries of the law.
“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. (promoter for the Atlantis, the 9:30 Club, Lincoln Theatre, the Anthem, and Merriweather Post Pavilion), in the press release.
“The RESALE Act, when signed into law, will protect consumers from price gouging, Fix Schaefer continued. “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.”
