The Tote is a British gambling company founded in 1928.

Started by Sir Winston Churchill in 1928, the Tote was created to be a safe place to bet and return funds to British racing.

The Tote is the largest pool betting operator in the United Kingdom and has been at the heart of British racing for over 90 years.

History of the Tote

The Tote was established and owned by the UK Government until July 2011 when it was sold to Betfred for £265m.

The 514 high street Totesport betting shops were rebranded to Betfred Betting Shops as part of the sale in 2011.

It was later sold to UK Tote Group in October 2019 for £115m.

The Tote has retail outlets on most of the UK’s racecourses and many of the Irish Racecourses.

Key Dates

Here are Tote’s key dates as per The Tote Wikipedia Page:

1928 Racecourse Betting Act passed (August) Racecourse Betting Control Board (the Tote) was set up to handle on-course cash pool bets on horse racing
1929 First meeting operated under Licence: West Street Harriers (13 March)
First meeting operated with Board’s staff: Old Surrey & Burstow (27 April)
First major meetings: Newmarket (July Course) and Carlisle (2 July)
1930 Tote Investors Ltd set up as an independent company to handle off-course credit tote bets
1933 First grants made from Tote profits to Hunters’ Improvement Society, promoters of point-to-point meetings and pony racing
1956 First sponsored race: Tote Investors Cup (Kempton)
1961 Betting Levy Act transferred responsibility for the distribution of funds to racing to the Levy Board; Board reconstituted as Horserace Totalisator Board; Tote Investors Ltd opened two betting shops to handle tote pool bets only
1963 Tote buys Tote Investors Ltd
1972 Tote permitted to handle bets on all sports
1973 Tote Bookmakers launched
1986 Live TV pictures in betting shops
1992 Tote Direct launched (joint venture with Corals)
1993 Betting shops open in the evening
1995 Sunday racing (May: Newmarket and Salisbury)
1997 Tote permitted to handle bets on all events, including numbers. Ladbrokes join Tote Direct
2002 Tote betXpress internet service launched
2004 Official unveiling of Totesport/Totepool
2009 Two-year deal to sponsor Hull City A.F.C.
2011 Sale of the Tote to Betfred
2019 Sale of the Tote to UK Tote Group

Tote Pool Bets History

Here are Tote’s key dates of the bet types being introduced as per The Tote Betting Wikipedia Page:

1929 Win and Place pools
1930 Daily Double launched (discontinued 1985) Special Autumn Double (Cesarewitch/Cambridgeshire)
1931 Ante-post bets on Cambridgeshire and Manchester November Handicap (money was placed in main pools)
1933 Straight forecast pool (3 or 4 runner races) (discontinued 1939)
1934 Unsuccessful experiment with Single Pools (Win and Place bets in the same pool)
1939 Daily Treble (discontinued 1985)
1979 Top Three Jockey Pool at Ascot
1983 Super Double and Super Treble (Scottish courses only) (discontinued 1983)
1991 Trio (discontinued 1998)
1994 Quadpot launched (June: Pontefract and Nottingham) and Multibet (May: Goodwood)
1998 Trifecta launched (August: Goodwood)
1999 Scoop6 launched (July)
2000 Exacta launched (January)
2008 Swinger and Super7 launched (Super7 Discontinued 2011)

Tote Licensing

Tote is a trading name of TDCO Limited.

It is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 54779.

TDCO Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 11300287 whose registered office is on the 6th floor, 6 Kean Street, London, WC2B 4AS.

Tote’s Headquarters are in Wigan, England.

UK Tote Group Information

Here is important information about the UK Tote Group:

The Industry is classed as “Gambling”
Founded in 1928 by Sir Winston Churchill
Headquarters Wigan, England, UK
The area served is all of the United Kingdom
The CEO of the UK Tote Group is Alex Frost
The UK Tote Group is a consortium of racing figures set up to buy the Tote from Betfred
There is more than 160 individual investors, the “majority” of which are racehorse owners and breeders
Products provided are sports betting, online casino, and horse racing bets
The number of employees is over 170
Website www.tote.co.uk

All Tote Pool Betting Related Posts

Check out all the related Tote Pool Betting related posts.

Summary

The Tote is different from betting with traditional bookmakers who offer fixed odds. There are no odds set by the Tote.

When wagering bets with the Tote it is similar to a sweepstake with everyone’s bets being collected together in one, all-encompassing, central pool.

When the horse racing result is declared, the entire pool minus the Tote’s takeout is then shared out between all of the winning bets.

The pool betting dividends that are paid are calculated according to the volume of bets placed by sports bettors on each winning combination.

This means the Tote always welcomes winning customers and does not ban customers for winning too much.

We strongly recommend trying out the Tote Mobile Betting App where you can also conveniently find all of your favourite Tote Horse Racing Bets including popular bet types like the Tote Placepot or Tote Jackpot.

Tote is committed to responsible gambling so all customers need to understand – “18+ only. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. Begambleaware.org.”

If you currently do not have an account with the Tote Company you need to understand the latest innovations, including Tote Guarantee and Tote+ (Tote Plus) to ensure the Tote provides better value to customers.

The Tote Company