1. Market overview
Region: Latin America
Key Markets: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru
Market profile:
Latin America is one of the fastest-growing live entertainment regions globally, driven by strong touring activity, high mobile adoption, and highly engaged fan communities.
The global online ticketing market reached US$71.5B in 2023 and is projected to grow at ~7% CAGR through 2027.
Despite this growth, official secondary infrastructure remains underdeveloped, and resale activity is largely informal.
Source: (PwC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook; Statista Report)
Market maturity layer
Resale maturity level: Emerging —> Transitional
In Latin America, the industry conversation around resale is still largely framed as:
“Should we allow resale?” Rather than: “How should we design it?”
In more mature markets, resale is viewed as a strategic infrastructure layer and, in many cases, something platforms actively seek to own internally.
In LATAM, reputational concerns and historical associations with informal reselling continue to dominate the narrative, slowing official adoption despite clear underlying demand.
This creates a structural gap between market reality and platform capability.
2. Demand & supply dynamics
3. Resale Metrics
Tickets Resold --> 5% – 12%
Average Markup --> 25% – 60%
Off-Platform Resale --> 60% – 75%
Sell-Through (Resale) --> 40% – 55%
Fraud Exposure --> High
Platform Capture Rate --> <30%
Souce: Statista – Event Tickets Market
(Grand View Research; IBISWorld Industry Reports).
4. Channel analysis
Informal channels (Dominant)
- WhatsApp groups
- Facebook Marketplace / Groups
- Instagram DMs
- Street resellers
Characteristics:
- No guarantees
- No traceability
- No refunds
- No platform revenue
- No institutional accountability
Formal channels (Limited Penetration)
- Platform-native resale
- Isolated marketplace integrations
Adoption remains low due to limited awareness, weak promotion, and legacy perception risks.
Why informal channels dominate
- Faster monetization in unstable currencies
- Lower compliance burden
- Cultural normalization of peer-to-peer resale
- Limited official alternatives
Market Capture Context
Internal industry analysis estimates resale as a US$97.8B global opportunity, largely consumed by informality.
LATAM represents one of the largest uncaptured segments of this opportunity.
Source: (GSMA Mobile Economy Reports).
5. Risk & Compliance Profile
Key Risks
- Duplicate tickets
- Fake QR/PDFs
- Chargebacks
- Venue access disruption
- Brand erosion
Regulatory Environment
- Fragmented frameworks
- Inconsistent enforcement
- Consumer-protection-driven oversight
Country Regulatory Snapshots
Argentina
- Legal Stance: Partially regulated, Consumer-centric.
- Regulatory Focus: The Secretaría de Comercio (Resolution 271/2020 and 2025 updates) mandates 100% price transparency and explicit "unofficial site" disclaimers.
- Risk Profile: High chargeback rates due to strong consumer protection laws.
Source: Boletín Oficial República Argentina - Defensa del Consumidor
Brazil
- Legal Stance: Highly regulated (Event-specific).
- Regulatory Focus: Enforcement of the "Lei Taylor Swift" (PL 3120/23) and the General Law of Sports, which criminalize scalping above face value for major events.
- Risk Profile: Regulatory fines from PROCON for lack of "bot-mitigation" proof.
Source: Câmara dos Deputados - Brasil (PL 3120/2023)
Mexico
- Legal Stance: Fragmented, Transitioning to Federal regulation.
- Regulatory Focus: PROFECO is pushing for the "Ley Ticketmaster" (2024-2026 reforms) to prevent over-selling and ensure mandatory refunds for cancellations, including service fees.
- Risk Profile: Extremely high fraud/cloning risk in the secondary market.
Source: PROFECO - Revista del Consumidor
Chile
- Legal Stance: Regulated via Consumer Law (SERNAC).
- Regulatory Focus: Strict "All-in pricing" transparency. SERNAC actively sues platforms that add "processing fees" at the last step of the checkout.
- Risk Profile: Moderate. Highly digitalized market with high expectations for UX and immediate delivery.
- menta Implication: Automated tax calculation and fee disclosure at the listing trigger, ensuring the buyer sees the final price from the first interaction.
Source: SERNAC - Servicio Nacional del Consumidor
Colombia
- Legal Stance: Evolving (Focus on "Espectáculos Públicos" Law).
- Regulatory Focus: The Ley 1493 de 2011 and recent Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) circulars demand strict data protection and clear disclosure of service fees. There is an increasing push to link tickets to the "Cédula de Ciudadanía."
- Risk Profile: Moderate fraud risk, but high scrutiny on "hidden fees" and tax collection (Contribución Parafiscal).
Source: Ministerio de Cultura - Colombia / SIC
Peru
- Legal Stance: Emerging / Formalization phase.
- Regulatory Focus: INDECOPI (National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property) has been aggressively sancioning platforms for lack of "security protocols" following major scam cases in 2022-2023 (e.g., Daddy Yankee/Bad Bunny concerts).
- Risk Profile: Very high "Informal Market" risk. Counterfeit tickets are a primary concern for the regulator.
Source: INDECOPI - Plataforma Digital Única del Estado Peruano
6. Infrastructure Impact
7. Partner Case Signals
Public filings show that mature secondary platforms operate at massive scale:
- US$8.7B GMS in 2024
- 40M+ tickets sold
- 1M+ sellers
- Buyers in 200+ countries
menta helped us proactively identify unusual user behavior and prevent potential risks, protecting both our promoters and our platform." Sócrates García, Owner & Director at Ticketmania
This validates resale as a structurally scalable business model.LATAM platforms with integrated resale consistently report:
- +30–45% internal capture
- Up to 98% fraud reduction
- Lower operational friction
- Higher repeat usage
“menta tech allowed us to offer a solution that no competitor had: an integrated, secure, and transparent resale market. With this innovation, we redefined our users' experience and solidified our position as technology leaders in ticketing.” Juan Ignacio de Marco, Ticketing Manager at Coolco
8. Market Opportunity index
Score (1–5)
Revenue Upside --> 5
Adoption Readiness --> 4
Regulatory Fit --> 3
Partner Density --> 4
Competitive Pressure --> 2
Overall Opportunity Score: 4.0 / 5
9. Strategic Implications
For Ticketing platforms
- Immediate monetization opportunity
- Defensive play against external marketplaces
- Retention lever
For venues & promoters
- Visibility on secondary demand
- Brand protection
- Data ownership
For rights holders
- Pricing intelligence
- Tour planning optimization
- Fan trust preservation
10. menta Perspective
Latin America is a complex, high-volatility market, but also one of the largest and most resilient live entertainment ecosystems globally.
Across music, sports, and cultural events, the region consistently sustains massive demand, high touring density, and deeply engaged fan communities. Even through economic cycles, inflationary shocks, and currency instability, live entertainment remains a structural pillar of consumer spending.
Resale in LATAM has historically remained informal, not due to lack of demand, but due to lack of trusted, scalable infrastructure.
Today, that dynamic is shifting.
Fans are increasingly demanding safer, more transparent alternatives that protect their money, their access, and their experience. In parallel, ticketing platforms and rights holders are recognizing that unmanaged resale means:
- Lost revenue
- Lost data
- Lost control
- Reputational exposure
Platforms that adopt integrated, governed resale systems are not simply “adding a feature”.
They are building institutional resilience.
By implementing compliant, automated, and platform-native resale infrastructure, these organizations:
- Reduce financial leakage
- Recover strategic data
- Minimize operational risk
- Strengthen brand credibility
- Reinforce long-term fan trust
In a market defined by volatility, governance becomes a competitive advantage.
LATAM’s next phase of ticketing leadership will not be defined by who sells more tickets, but by who builds stronger systems around them.
Integrated resale is no longer optional. It is the infrastructure layer that separates reactive operators from industry leaders.