StubHub's 'marketplace for fans' is run by a mass scalper, SEC filings reveal

When Mark Gallagher of Vancouver logged on to StubHub in February to buy tickets for the World Cup, he assumed he was buying from another fan who couldn’t make the match.

"It's portrayed as a reliable, credible source of buying resale tickets off individuals who want to sell their tickets," he told CBC News.

But a CBC investigation has found that while StubHub claims it is a "marketplace for fans to buy and sell tickets," the online ticket company is run by a mass scalper and helps bankroll other large-scale resellers who use the platform.

"I literally had no idea," said Gallagher. "That doesn't seem right to me."

StubHub is reportedly the largest player in a resale industry where professional scalpers scoop up billions of dollars worth of tickets to mark up to resell at a profit.

StubHub’s business model — which is legal — moved $9.2 billion US in tickets in 2025 and has been under intense scrutiny as the company cancelled thousands of World Cup orders, prompting investigations by Consumer Protection BC and the Texas attorney general, as well as two proposed class-action lawsuits in the U.S.

No tickets on game day despite constant assurances from StubHub

The company recently told CBC "StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay)."

However, in recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, StubHub CEO Eric Baker disclosed he not only runs the giant resale platform, but is also part owner and managing director of Andro Capital, a fund that sells millions of dollars worth of tickets on StubHub.

CBC asked Baker for an interview to discuss his companies — and the contradiction between mass scalping activities on