Why REPS & Co. faces a federal ticket lawsuit involving Beyoncé’s tour

The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission sued San Diego ticket broker REPS & Co. on October 15, alleging it evaded online ticket purchase limits to buy millions of tickets for resale. The civil case targets bulk buying of concert seats that fans could otherwise seek at the initial sale.

Regulators allege REPS made more than $120 million in profit from tickets bought and resold since 2022. Billboard reports a total of more than 18.5 million tickets; The Hollywood Reporter puts the complaint’s figure at more than 18.6 million.

How regulators say REPS bought the tickets

Billboard says the complaint describes an internal ‘Error Bible’ that tracked ticketing platform error messages and guided workarounds. The allegations cover more than 83,000 events since 2022, including shows by Beyoncé, Luke Bryan, Post Malone and Pitbull; The Hollywood Reporter gives the event total as about 83,500.

The Beyoncé and Pitbull ticket examples

At Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour show at Arrowhead Stadium on October 1, 2023, the complaint alleges REPS used about 1,300 accounts to obtain 7,624 tickets and made roughly $833,323 in profit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

For a 2024 Pitbull show at Empower FCU Amphitheater, regulators allege the broker used 700 accounts to acquire 5,430 tickets and made more than $120,000 in profit. Billboard reports that the ticket quantity was nearly one-third of the venue’s capacity.

What the federal lawsuit seeks

Billboard reports that the Justice Department filed the case after an FTC referral and is seeking financial penalties, without specifying an amount. The suit alleges violations of the Better Online Ticket Sales Act. Both agencies have pledged to keep enforcing the law against ticket brokers following a 2025 executive order calling for increased enforcement.

The allegations have not been decided in court. Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter said REPS did not immediately respond to their requests for comment.