Ticket Scammers Still Getting Through Despite Tougher Resale Laws, Report Finds

One in six Australians say they've been a victim of ticket fraud in the past 12 months, according to Tixel's Future of Ticketing Report: The Live Equation 2030. But despite tougher resale laws and regulated platforms, scammers are still getting through.

Australians are also less likely to have paid an inflated price for a resale ticket, at 38%, compared to 49% in the UK and 56% in the US. Tixel attributes this to Australia's resale laws.

Tixel co-founder and COO Jason Webb said the report is timed to inform fans ahead of peak festival and stadium season: “Scammers are only going to get more sophisticated as technology advances, so platforms built to shut them out aren’t a nice-to-have, they’re essential, both today and into the future.”

The report found Gen Z Australians face higher risk than other age groups. Over the past 12 months, 30% of Gen Z respondents were defrauded or scalped, compared to 13% of over-30s. 57% of Gen Z respondents paid an inflated resale price, against 31% of older fans.

Gen Z fans are also more likely to be influenced by social factors: almost a third won't buy a ticket until a friend commits, compared to one in five older fans, and 34% say not having someone to attend with stops them going altogether. Gen Z is also twice as likely to discover events through creators and influencers (35%, against 17% of older fans).

Olivia Dean's Australian east coast arena tour, starting next month, has a Tixel waitlist of over 70,000 – the highest of any 2026 waitlist, and among the largest recorded, behind Taylor Swift's Eras Tour (nearly 200,000 across seven dates), Coldplay and Billie Eilish, and comparable to Olivia Rodrigo.

Webb said: "This is exactly the kind of high-demand, sold-out-in-minutes moment that pushes desperate fans toward risky ticket trading. 

"When supply is so scarce, the temptation to grab a ticket from anyone offering one goes up, and that's when fans need verification and protection the most,” he added.

The report also found fans prioritise certainty over cost: 77% would rather pay more for a verified ticket than risk a cheaper unverified one. Tixel refers to this as "FOSO" (fear of selling out). One in five Australians typically secure presale access, a higher rate than in the UK or US.

72% of Australians believe bots and brokers are driving inflated resale prices, and most expect this to continue as ticketing technology develops.

While 47% of Australians believe AI will make it easier to find events, only 4% trust AI recommendations when deciding whether to attend. 49% trust ticketing and event platforms directly, and 39% trust recommendations from friends and family.

On the experience of live events, 78% of respondents said they're valuable for bonding with friends and family, and 70% described them as a form of emotional release. 67% said production, atmosphere and overall experience matter more to them than in the past, and 57% said they need an event to feel more immersive to be worth attending.

24% of respondents described themselves as "the Instigator" — the person who organises a group and buys tickets — while 22% said they won't commit to buying until someone else does.

Zac Leigh, CEO and Co-Founder of Tixel, said: “A great line-up used to be enough on its own and it’s still important, but now the whole event has to deliver: the atmosphere, the production, the experience of being there with people who care as much as you do.”