DOJ and FTC sue ticket broker REPS & Co over alleged $120m BOTS Act scheme

The US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have sued San Diego-based ticket reseller REPS & Co and several of its executives, alleging the company broke the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act and made more than $120m in profit. The Hollywood Reporter, which first detailed the filing, said REPS had not immediately responded to its request for comment. The claims are allegations and have not been tested in court.

What the agencies allege

According to the complaint, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, REPS opened thousands of accounts on Ticketmaster, AXS and other ticketing services and got around the purchase limits those platforms set. The agencies say the firm bought more than 18.6 million tickets for about 83,500 events, among them concerts by Beyoncé, Post Malone and Pitbull.

Two examples are given. For a Beyoncé Renaissance tour date at Arrowhead Stadium on 1 October 2023, REPS is alleged to have used about 1,300 accounts to obtain 7,624 tickets, earning roughly $833,323 in profit. For a 2024 Pitbull show at Empower FCU Amphitheater, it allegedly used 700 accounts to secure 5,430 tickets, netting more than $120,000.

The agencies also claim REPS hired ticket buyers in the Philippines and took steps to hide their IP addresses, including the use of VPNs. The complaint describes the company's model as one "predicated on identifying events for which tickets will be in high demand and buy up tickets for those events before ordinary consumers can." It adds that the conduct harmed fans who might otherwise have bought from ticket issuers at lower prices.

Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement that companies seeking to profit by "driving up prices or depriving ordinary fans of access to reasonably priced tickets" should be "on notice that we are watching and will take action to stop this unlawful conduct."

A wider US crackdown

The Hollywood Reporter places the suit within a period of heightened US scrutiny of live music. It notes that President Trump signed an executive order last year calling for stronger BOTS Act enforcement and asking the FTC to consider action against unfair, deceptive and anti-competitive conduct in secondary ticketing.

The FTC also sued Live Nation last year, accusing it of coordinating with ticket brokers so they could obtain tickets ahead of regular customers. EILISH has covered that case separately. The DOJ sued Live Nation in 2024 on monopoly allegations. According to THR, the DOJ and Live Nation settled that case, but a group of states pursued it and Live Nation was found liable in April.

What it means for UK fans

The REPS case rests on US law and concerns US events, and nothing in THR's report relates to UK sales or UK legislation. Even so, the core allegation, that bulk buyers use automation and large account networks to take tickets before fans can and then resell at a markup, will be familiar to UK audiences who follow the touting debate. What the filing does show is US regulators targeting a single broker's alleged methods in detail, rather than the resale market in general.