Tout offers £1m of U2 tickets on StubHub, raising questions about ‘bot’ clampdown

A tout has advertised £1 million worth of tickets for U2's 2027 London tour on StubHub, prompting concerns over the platform's stance against professional ticket traders who employ "bot" software to secure tickets and exploit genuine fans. The four-night London leg of U2's The Greatest Show on Earth tour sold out quickly after going on sale, leading to a surge in supply from prolific touts using platforms like StubHub to charge exorbitant prices.

Vladyslav Skrypka, the tout in question, has listed over 1,800 tickets alone, with some at more than four times the face value, potentially earning him over £1 million if all tickets sold. This situation comes as artists and industry figures call on the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, to take action against "tout" operations by outlawing resale for profit.

A bill to ban ticket touting is set to be published during the current parliamentary session, which could take until 2027 to pass. StubHub International's CEO, Bob Kupbens, has condemned bots and called for better policing of resale sites, while FanFair Alliance claims the high number of tickets on StubHub suggests bot use or "speculative selling," both of which are illegal.

StubHub maintains that it does not allow speculative selling and requires sellers to prove ownership of the tickets they list. Ticketmaster, on the other hand, denies responsibility for bots, stating it blocks 20 billion bots per month, and asserts that resale sites drive bot usage. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has vowed to push forward with legislation to eradicate ticket touting, emphasizing their commitment to protecting fans from being overcharged.