Illicit Ticket Brokers Seek to Acquire Tickets with Automated Programs
CTS Eventim Tackles Ticket Scalping with Bots
In the live event industry, ticket scalping using bots has become a common problem, with automated software rapidly buying large quantities of tickets to resell at inflated prices. This gives scalpers an unfair advantage over genuine fans.
To combat this issue, CTS Eventim, a major ticketing company, has implemented several measures to prevent bot-driven ticket scalping, particularly for high-demand events like the upcoming Ed Sheeran tour in 2025.
The company enforces a strict limit of 6 tickets per show date per purchaser to increase fairness and reduce bulk buying by bots or scalpers. Any transactions detected as bot purchases or involving customers creating duplicate accounts to exceed ticket limits are cancelled. This suggests active monitoring and cancellation efforts aimed at preventing unethical secondary ticketing and resale.
Eventim also utilizes a mobile digital ticketing system via EVENTIM.Pass, linking tickets directly to accounts and devices. This limits the ability to resell or transfer tickets easily and helps track genuine buyers. Customers must use verified payment methods and login accounts, further complicating attempts by bots or scalpers to automate bulk purchases.
CTS Eventim's CEO, Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, reported millions of bot requests during major onsales. Last year, the company temporarily suspended the resale of Taylor Swift tickets due to a hacker attack. All unauthorized resales were reversed, and Schulenberg emphasized that fraud, abuse, and too much usury have occurred on unauthorized secondary market platforms in the past.
Despite these efforts, ticket scalping with bots remains a persistent challenge in the industry globally. Event promoters can prohibit commercial resale of tickets, and ticket touts are known to use computer programs to obtain tickets.
CTS Eventim, with its operations in venues such as the Waldbühne in Berlin and its status as the world's second-largest ticket vendor, continues to strive towards providing real fans better access to tickets. The company's measures demonstrate a commitment to curbing bot scalping and promoting fairness in the ticketing industry.
- CTS Eventim's cyberscurity measures, such as the mobile digital ticketing system and verification of payment methods, show a commitment to cybersecurity technology in tackling the issue of automated ticket scalping.
- In the entertainment industry, where sports events and concerts like the Ed Sheeran tour are in high demand, the use of technology to combat ticket scalping by bots is crucial to ensuring fair access for genuine fans.
