DOJ Sues Broker That Allegedly Netted $120M Flipping Tickets to Beyoncé & More Tours
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
The US Justice Department has sued San Diego ticket broker REPS & Co., alleging it bypassed ticket-buying limits to resell concert tickets. The case adds to a federal enforcement drive under the BOTS Act, a 2016 law that prohibits evading ticket sellers’ security measures.
The complaint alleges REPS made $120 million reselling more than 18.5 million tickets across 83,000 events since 2022. It says the company used offshore workers, thousands of online accounts and SIM cards, proxy addresses and a guide to resolve Ticketmaster security errors. Events reportedly targeted included Beyoncé’s 2023 tour; in one example, REPS allegedly bought 5,430 tickets for a 2024 Pitbull show, nearly a third of the venue’s capacity.
- DOJ sued REPS & Co. over alleged ticket-buying limit workarounds.
- The broker allegedly made $120 million reselling tickets.
- The complaint cites 18.5 million tickets across 83,000 events.
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Ticket brokers buy tickets to popular events and resell them, often at higher prices. Ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster set limits and use security checks to give more buyers a chance to purchase tickets directly.
The US BOTS Act, passed in 2016, makes it illegal to get around those limits or security measures using automated tools. The Justice Department enforces federal law, while REPS & Co. is a San Diego ticket broker; the case concerns whether its ticket buying broke the law.
The dispute matters because large-scale resale can affect how many tickets remain available to fans at the original price. It also tests how the federal law applies to a ticket broker’s alleged methods and the scale of its business.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The case can be seen as necessary enforcement of rules meant to stop brokers from evading purchase limits and security checks, which can leave ordinary fans with less access and push resale prices higher. If the allegations are proved, the scale and methods described could justify a substantial response to deter similar conduct and uphold the BOTS Act.
The case against
A broker could argue that resale can help tickets reach buyers who value them and that enforcement should distinguish unlawful evasion from legitimate ticket trading. The allegations remain to be proved, and a fair case would require the government to show that the company’s conduct violated the law rather than relying on the size of its profits or the unpopularity of resale.