UK politicians advance plans to crack down on PS5 and Xbox Series X scalping

An MP in the UK's Parliament has brought forward a bill to criminalize the reselling of consoles at higher prices.

Earlier this week on Monday, February 8, MP George Chapman introduced a bill called the Gaming Hardware (Automated Purchase and Resale) Bill 2019-21, according to Sky News. Apparently, the bill seeks to put restrictions on the resale of consoles similar to how events ticket resales were heavily restricted a few years ago.

"We've proposed that a similar legislative process be brought forward to ensure that consumers can purchase gaming consoles and computer components at no more than the manufacturers' recommended price, and that resale of goods purchased by automated bots be made illegal," Chapman said to Sky News.

However, it's incredibly unlikely that the bill itself will pass. Chapman is a member of the Scottish National Party, a party that isn't currently holding governing power, and bills such as this from the opposition party very rarely pass. That being said, Chapman is hoping that the proposed bill will have a knock-on effect, prompting legislation to pass from the governing party.

This is the result of proposed legislation talked about by UK politicians in December 2020, following the fairly disastrous launches of the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S worldwide. In December 2020, Walmart reportedly blocked as many as 20 million scalpers from purchasing next-gen consoles, and as recently as last month in the UK, customers were still struggling to purchase PS5 consoles as scalpers continued to have a stranglehold on outlets.

If you're still wondering what the ideal next-gen console is for you, head over to our PS5 vs Xbox Series X guide for more.