When Mark Gallagher from Vancouver went online to purchase World Cup tickets through StubHub in February, he believed he was buying from a fellow fan who couldn’t attend the event.
Describing StubHub as a reliable platform for resale tickets, Gallagher expressed surprise upon discovering that the online ticket company is operated by a significant scalper figure and supports other large-scale resellers using the platform.
StubHub, a key player in the resale industry, generated $9.2 billion US in ticket sales in 2025, drawing attention as it canceled numerous World Cup orders. This led to investigations by Consumer Protection BC, the Texas attorney general, and the initiation of two class-action lawsuits in the U.S.
While StubHub claims to be a facilitator connecting independent buyers and sellers, recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that StubHub’s CEO, Eric Baker, not only oversees the massive resale platform but is also involved with Andro Capital, a fund that sells substantial ticket volumes on StubHub.
Despite requests for comment on these activities and the discrepancy between StubHub’s operations and its fan-centric image, Baker and StubHub declined to engage with CBC. The company emphasized that such information was publicly disclosed in their SEC filings.
The revelation that StubHub is financially backing scalpers through an affiliate of Baker’s fund has raised concerns about the company’s integrity. This development contradicts StubHub’s portrayal as a fair marketplace for fans, according to industry experts like Randy Nichols.
The dominance of mass scalpers in the resale ticket market has significantly impacted fans and artists over the years. Online ticketing platforms like StubHub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek have transformed the industry, allowing scalpers to profit substantially by reselling tickets at inflated prices.
Recent reports indicate that a significant portion of tickets on global resale sites are controlled by mass scalpers, affecting the overall ticket pricing and availability for genuine fans. Live Nation’s executive vice-president, Dan Wall, acknowledged the exploitative nature of allowing scalpers to operate on Ticketmaster, the primary box office company.
Christopher MacDonald, a business professor, highlighted the negative impact of having to purchase tickets from large-scale scalpers on the fan-artist relationship. The widespread practice of industrial-scale scalping raises ethical concerns and disrupts the interaction between artists and their audience.
The revelation of StubHub’s ties to scalpers has sparked discussions within the industry about the need for transparency and fair practices in ticket resale.
