Understanding The Tote

What is the Tote?

The Tote is different from traditional bookmakers, in that it is betting from a cumulative pool of prize money rather than on fixed odds return. This means you place your bet and your stake goes into a ‘pool’ of money. Each bet type has its own respective pool. Odds are affected by how many people bet, how much they bet, and who and what they bet on.

All of these elements will affect your share of winnings if your bet comes through (the less people backing the same horse as you, the more money you get back). Once the race is over, the pool is divided up, with the Tote getting a share of the pool and winners receive a portion depending on their bet.

This used to only take place on the racecourse itself, but now you can also bet through the Tote online at tote.co.uk.

Crowds watching a group of jockeys racing towards the finishing post.

The Tote Origins

The Tote was initially set up in 1928 and was government owned. With bets on horse racing becoming increasingly popular in the wake of the first world war, more people were turning to unlicensed bookmakers rather than the official bookmakers at the courses. This meant that some people were able to manipulate the winnings and make a lot of money that wasn’t regulated.

With support from Winston Churchill, the Tote was established to help regulate this, and to ensure profits from betting were being fed directly back into industry.

The Tote Today

Tote bets are sold from Tote branded betting positions across ARC racecourses, This pool betting operation is run by Britbet, who also run our on-course betting shops. Britbet is owned by a consortium of racecourses, including ARC, and their profits, along with a contribution from the UK Tote Group, going back into racecourses to improve facilities and services.

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How can you bet on the Tote?

There are several different bets that can be made (see our jargon buster for more details) but the most popular bets can be found below:

Simple Bets

Win - You pick one horse that will win that race.
Each Way - You pick one horse that will either win or place (counts as two bets - to win and to place).
Place - You pick one horse which will place in that race and the place it will finish at.

More Complex Bets (with potentially bigger wins)

Exacta - You pick two horses that come in the top two (in the correct order) in one race.
Trifecta - You pick three horses that come in the top three (in the correct order) in one race.
Swinger - You pick three horses that will come in the top three (in any order) in one race.
Quadpot - You pick four horses that will place in races 3, 4, 5 and 6 at that race meeting.
Placepot - You pick six horses that will place in the first 6 races at that race meeting,
Jackpot - You pick six winners from several ‘Jackpot’ race meetings hosted on that day.
Scoop6 - You pick six winners from several high pro!le ‘Scoop6’ race meetings hosted on a Friday or Saturday

Where can you bet on the Tote?

All racecourses have tote betting facilities onsite, that will display the latest odds. You can visit a Tote station, or if you are in hospitality you will likely be able to place bets with a representative who has a handheld device. You can also take advantage of tote betting online.

Visit tote.co.uk