Cricket World Cup organizers are “prepared to take legal action against secondary ticketing sites," with some tickets being priced at over £12,000 ($15,600) for the May 30-July 14 event, according to Stephan Shemilt of the BBC. Tickets for England-Australia at Lord's are “being sold on Viagogo for 104 times their face value.” A World Cup spokesperson said organizers are “working closely with lawyers to identify secondary ticket sites which infringe” the terms and conditions. It is “not illegal" in the U.K. to resell tickets to int'l cricket matches, although the Cricket World Cup's own ticketing website states that "no ticket should be offered for public sale.” A Viagogo statement said, "Viagogo does not set ticket prices, sellers set their own prices, which may be above or below the original face value. Where demand is high and tickets are limited, prices increase." For the sold-out England-Australia match on June 25, a vendor on Viagogo is marketing two silver tickets, with a face value of £115 ($149), for £12,029 each. There are a “number of other matches involving England and also India" where prices of £12,029 per ticket are being asked on Viagogo. Separately, it has been “alleged that Viagogo has previously approached supporters' group the Barmy Army with a request to sell some of its allocation for England matches outside of the World Cup, a claim Viagogo has not denied.” When asked about the claim the company said, "All tickets on Viagogo are valid and it is perfectly legal to resell a ticket or give it to someone else if you want to." Stubhub is also “selling tickets well over their face value.” Two gold tickets for the India-Pakistan at Old Trafford on June 16, originally priced at £150 ($195) per ticket, are being marketed at £3,280 ($4,260) each (BBC, 1/17).
