We assign random queue positions to ensure a fair and balanced experience for all customers. While this may not seem immediately intuitive, we’ll explain why this method is more equitable than traditional approaches.
Why Not First-Come, First-Served?
The first-come-first-served method may appear fair on the surface—it rewards those who arrive early. However, in practice, it creates significant disadvantages for the majority of genuine customers.
Advantages of First-Come, First-Served
Customers who join the queue early are placed at the front.
Disadvantages of First-Come, First-Served
Bot Exploitation: Ticket touts often use automated bots that can join the queue in under 0.1 seconds—much faster than any human. As a result, the front of the queue is often dominated by bots, leaving real customers at a disadvantage.
Massive Demand at Queue Opening: Thousands of customers attempt to join the queue the moment it opens, creating heavy server loads and often chaotic experiences.
Email Delays: Queue links are typically distributed via email. Many mailing services send emails in batches over a 30-minute period, sometimes alphabetically or with random delays. This means that some customers may receive their email several minutes after others, even if they signed up at the same time.
Technical Inequities: Customers with slower computers, mobile devices, or unstable internet connections are often unable to load the queue page quickly enough. A difference of even one second can push someone from the front of the queue to position 10,000 or beyond.
Limited Flexibility: Customers who are at work, commuting, or otherwise unavailable at the exact queue open time are immediately disadvantaged.
Summary
First-come-first-served queueing disproportionately benefits:
Users with ultra-fast devices and internet connections
Those who can be online at the exact queue opening time
Bots operated by scalpers
The vast majority of customers fall outside these categories and are therefore unfairly disadvantaged.
Why We Prefer Random Queue Positioning
Randomised queue positions are designed to level the playing field and reduce stress during the ticketing process.
Advantages of Random Queue Positioning
Equal Opportunity: All customers who join the waiting room before the event begins are assigned queue positions at random, giving everyone the same chance of success.
No Rush to Join: Most waiting rooms open 15 to 60 minutes before the event. As long as you enter during this window, you are treated equally.
Reduced Bot Activity: Since bots gain no advantage from speed, there is little incentive for scalpers to use them—resulting in a cleaner, more genuine queue.
Better Access for All: Customers with slow devices, limited internet connectivity, or delayed email delivery are not penalised.
Lower Stress: Customers no longer need to worry about being online the exact moment the queue opens.
Disadvantages of Random Queue Positioning
Some customers expect to be rewarded for arriving early and may be surprised to receive a later queue position.
Conclusion: A Fairer Experience for Everyone
Random queue allocation helps create a fairer and more accessible ticketing experience. It neutralises the advantage of bots and high-speed devices, reduces the pressure on customers to join at a precise time, and gives everyone a fair chance—regardless of their technology or internet provider.
Because bots no longer have an edge, we've observed significantly fewer attempts to bypass the system, resulting in a smoother, more equitable process for genuine customers.