Tote Horse Racing

Welcome to our guide to Tote horse racing, the Tote is one of our favourite bookmakers here at British Racecourses for a number of reasons and we take a look at them today.

The Tote has been around for a long time and is one of the oldest and most popular ways to bet on horses in the UK – it has stood the test of time without becoming out of date, they are always moving with the times.

With a newly designed Tote mobile app, the recent updates have seen Tot voted the best horse racing betting site in October 2023. With amazing betting promotions like the Tote Plus, SP Guarantee, and Free Bets the shrewd bettors have started to wager their money on the Tote.co.uk website and betting app.

Originally known as the “Horserace Totalisator Board”, the Tote was established in the UK way back in 1928. The Tote was initially a government-owned organisation that provided both a legal and regulated form of “pool betting” on horse racing. This is very different from more standard bookies, which is why it is so popular.

The Tote initially operated exclusively at racecourses, but now what they offer has grown to satisfy modern punters with great online betting options too.

In recent years, the Tote has undergone various changes in its ownership structure but it is as popular as ever with multiple types of bets to choose from including the Tote Placepot, Tote Jackpot, Tote Exacta, Tote Trifecta, and Tote Scoop6. Could the Tote be your favourite new bookmaker?

Find out more about Tote horse racing betting:

The Tote Welcome Offer – Get a Free Matched Bet

If you want to sign-up to the Tote today, try out the new customer welcome bonus shown below:

You can sign up to the Tote and bet £10 and get £30 in free bets!

Find out more about the Tote welcome offer.

What is The Tote?

The term “tote” is short for Totalisator, which is a system of betting used in horse racing and some other sports.

The tote is essentially a computerised betting system that calculates and displays the odds and payouts for various betting options based on the total amount wagered by all participants.

The tote system provides an alternative to traditional fixed-odds betting, where the odds are determined at the time of placing the bet and remains fixed regardless of the total amount wagered. Tote betting allows for more flexibility and dynamic odds that can change right up until the start of the race or event. Prize money and winning ticket shares are split between the winners.

Different countries and jurisdictions may have their own specific tote systems and operators.

How Does The Tote Work?

The Tote offers a different way of betting that more standard online options.

It essentially offers a system where bets from participants are combined into an overall “betting pool”, winning bets are then distributed from this pool amongst the winners.

Pool betting differs from traditional fixed-odds betting, as the bets are pooled together, and the winnings are distributed among the winning tickets. This system allows bettors to wager on a particular outcome and potentially win a share of the pool, which can result in larger payouts, especially if there are fewer winning tickets.

The Tote is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and operates at racecourses, online, and through various licensed betting shops.

Does The Tote Do Best Odds Guaranteed?

The Tote Best Odds Guaranteed is called the “Tote SP Guarantee”.

The Tote SP Guarantee is the best best odds guaranteed around as it pays out the #bestofboth. This means that you will get SP payouts if the Tote dividend is lower OR pay the Tote dividend if it is greater. So the punter is getting this best deal at all times.

Here are the benefits of the Tote SP Guarantee:

• Tote Guarantee means you will always get paid out at least SP on Win bets
• Where the Tote dividend is greater than SP, you’ll get paid the bigger amount
• Tote Guarantee applies to the Tote Win and Win part of each way bets on all UK & Irish races
• The Tote SP Guarantee is available online at Tote.co.uk or Tote.ie website and via the Tote betting app

What are The Horse Racing Bet Types With The Tote?

Here are all the horse racing bets you can wager on the Tote.

Tote bets are some of the best and most popular in the UK and Ireland:

Tote Win Horse Racing Bet

A simple one, you pick one horse that will win that race.

Tote win bets are very popular on-course with casual punters looking for a simple single bet.

Tote Each-Way Horse Racing Bet

You pick one horse that will either win or place (counts as two bets – one to win and one to place).

This bet is popular in competitive races with lots of runners such as major handicaps.

Tote Place Way Horse Racing Bet

You pick one horse that you think will place, you also select the place you think it will finish.

This type of bet is popular when there is a hot favourite or two fancied runners.

Tote Exacta

You pick two horses that come in the top two (in the correct order) in one race.

Find out more about the Tote Exacta.

Tote Trifecta

You pick three horses that come in the top three (in the correct order) in one race.

Find out more about the Tote Trifecta.

Tote Swinger

Tote Swinger bets are when you back two horses to finish in the top three of a race. Your selections can finish in any order and so long as they both finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd, you will win a share of the prize pool.

Your two horses must finish either 1st and 2nd, 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 3rd.

Tote Quinella

Similar to Exacta bets, with Tote Quinella bets, you select two horses which you think will finish 1st and 2nd. Your horses can finish in any order for your bet to come in.

Tote Quadpot

You pick four horses that will place in races 3, 4, 5 and 6 at that race meeting.

Find out more about the Quadpot.

Tote Placepot

You pick six horses that will place in the first 6 races at that race meeting,

Looking for some Placepot tips? Check out our daily tips guide.

Find out more about the Tote Placement on our dedicated page and also the Tote Placement Insurance scheme!

The Tote Placement is one of the oldest and most popular horse racing bets in the UK.

Tote Placepot 7

The Tote Placepot 7 is an exciting new pool type that takes the concept of the standard Placepot to the next level.

It features seven legs instead of six and allows you to form your bet from races across multiple different meetings.

Find out more about Placepot 7.

Tote Jackpot

You pick six winners from several ‘Jackpot’ race meetings hosted on that day.

Find out more about the Tote Jackpot.

Tote Scoop6

You pick six winners from several high-profile ‘Scoop6’ race meetings hosted on a Friday or Saturday

Find out more about Scoop 6 betting.

Tote Survivor

Tote Survivor is an exciting ‘Last Man Standing’ type bet which is played over six rounds.

Every Saturday, six races are nominated by the Tote and players must select the winner from the first race. After that first race, any players who didn’t correctly pick the winner will be eliminated. Those who picked the winner move into the second nominated race… The game will continue until there is only one player remaining.

Any remaining players after all six races have been run will share the prize pool. They are the winners.

What is Tote Plus?

Tote Plus is a bonus scheme for Tote betters.

With Tote+ customers will receive up to an additional 10% on all their winning bets placed either through the Tote.co.uk website or via the Tote Placepot app.

• Tote+ Win and Place bets will be settled at a value that is 10% bigger than the standard tote dividend.
• Bets into all other Tote+ pools will be settled at a value that is 5% bigger than the standard tote dividend.

Tote Plus applies to all pools that display the ‘Tote+’ logo and even if the payout with the extra 10% is below the SP returns, the Tote Guarantee will apply!

Tote+ is only available on bets placed directly via tote.co.uk, tote.ie or the official tote app and on pools where the ‘tote+’ symbol is displayed on the race card. Only applied to dividends of 1.20 or above. Tote+ Win and Place bets will be settled at a value which is 10% bigger than the standard tote dividend. Bets into all other Tote+ pools will be settled at a value which is 5% bigger than the standard tote dividend. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. BeGambleaware.org.

Does The Tote Have a Betting App?

The Tote betting app is one of the leading race betting apps online – you can easily make bets and stream races from your smartphone or mobile.

It’s a free app, making the entire experience far smoother. We recommend downloading the app for ease of use and so you can enjoy betting on the go.You will also get access to stream some of the biggest races of the year, including Cheltenham, The Grand National and more.

History of the Tote and Tote Betting

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 Irish Racecourses.

What is The Tote Stayers Club?

The Tote Stayers Club offers a unique opportunity for racing enthusiasts to engage with the captivating realm of stayers.

As a member, you’ll gain access to a range of exciting benefits, including insider insights, exclusive offers, and thrilling experiences that will deepen your appreciation for this prestigious racing category.

Find out more about the Tote Stayers club.

What is Tote Credit?

Tote Credit is the bookmaker’s version of a FREE BET.

Tote Credit allows you to place a bet for free, yet with all the functionality of real money stake.

That means real money payouts and no dividend deduction.

Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. There will be certain terms and conditions that apply so be sure to check them out.

Find out more about Tote Credit.

What is the Tote World Pool?

The Tote World Pool is a collaboration between totes in multiple countries and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC).

The Tote World Pool is a single pool bringing punters the chance internationally to bet together into one multi-million pound pool betting experience. It is a growing and exciting way to bet.

Each horse race in the World Pool can include bets from countries including Australia, the USA, Hong Kong, France, and the United Kingdom.

Hong Kong Jockey Club is set to host more World Pool days on British and Irish races after recent success so keep an eye out for that!

What is Tote Fantasy?

Tote Fantasy is a revolutionary game that brings together the excitement of horse racing and the strategic decision-making of fantasy sports.

With Tote Fantasy, you can immerse yourself in virtual horse ownership, build your dream stable, and compete against players worldwide. We absolutely love it here at BRC!

Tote Fantasy has emerged as a game-changer, offering a unique and engaging way to experience a day’s racing for a small stake.

What Sports Can You Bet on with The Tote?

With the Tote you can bet on horse racing and football, although the range of sports is set to expand.

The Tote are known as world leaders in the area of horse racing in the UK, Ireland and across the world.

Tote Deposit and Tote Withdrawl Options?

Currently, Tote only accepts Visa and Mastercard.

Although the vast majority of users will be using these methods, we would like to see some additional options available in the future such as PayPal, Neteller or Skrill which are commonly available with many UK bookmakers.

Deposits into your Tote account are free and instant as you would expect and withdrawals take an average of 3-5 days to reach your bank account.

Does The Tote Offer a Tipping Service?

The Tote does not offer a tipping service, as with other online bookmakers, it will do a brief analysis of each runner to help you make an informed decision about who you choose in the race.

Behind the Scenes News From The Tote?

The Tote offers Behind the Scene News, this feature is hosted on their website and includes things such asstable tours with UK and Irish trainers, jockey interviews, owner interviews and more.

These behind the scene glimpses allow you to discover more about the people and horses who make this sport so special. We highly recommended checking out these great guides.

The Lambourn Lowdown – a Great Tote Feature!

The Tote are official sponsors of something called the Lambourn Trainer’s Association; this shows the Totes’ dedication and passion for UK racing and has some great weekly features about the sport of kings.

In this, they interview some of the biggest names in the racing industry, who offer inside knowledge, tips, stories views and news. It includes interviews from amazing jockeys and trainers.

This runs every Friday – follow the Lambourn Lowdown link here. It is always an amazing feature and we strongly recommended checking it out.

Does the Tote Cover Irish Racing?

The Tote covers Irish racing as well as every single UK horse racing fixture.

As they do in the UK this includes both on course and also online betting options from each way bet options to win and multiples.

The Tote Ten to Follow News!

Looking for the latest news on Tote Ten to Follow well the Tote have another great feature – the Ten to Follow update! This great feature is a simple leaderboard, follow the link and find out more for yourself. If gives a great guide on the top horses to follow.

The Tote Expert Racing Opinions from Across The World!

Another great feature is that the Tote really is a global racing brand. They have a feature which offers top racing opinions for across the World, from the UK and Ireland to Hong, the US, Dubai and Australia – check it our for yourself.

Live Streaming of Your Racing Bets with The Tote

Live streaming of all available UK & Irish horse races are available at Tote.co.uk and is an extremely popular choice for a lot of punters due to one reason.

Unlike with most other bookies who require you to place a bet on a race in order to be able to stream it, at Tote, you can stream all races just by logging into your account!

No bet is necessary with the only requirement being that you have made at least one deposit into your account.

Find out more about Tote live streaming of racing.

Tote Sponsorships

Tote is generous in their Sponsorship schemes, offering help and support across a variety of different sports.

Find out more about Tote Sponsorship.

Tote Customer Support?

If you are looking for Tote customer service, you are lucky as they offer great customer online support as well as in person.

The contact details you need are:

Tote Email: [email protected]

Tote Phone: UK 0800 032 8188 / Non-UK +44 1942 314045

Tote Address: Customer Care, Douglas House, Tote Park, Chapel Lane, Wigan, WN34HS

You can read more about the Tote company.

Pros and Cons of Tote Betting?

All Tote Pool Betting Related Posts

Check out all the related Tote Pool Betting related posts.

Summary of UK Tote Horse Racing and Tote Betting

Tote Horse Racing is one of the best ways to bet on racing in the UK.

Whilst the Tote bet options and Tote betting have been in operation for many years, they have recently really redeveloped and are growing in fresh popularity again.

The company has great presence in Jockey Club racecourses nationwide and in Ireland, with friendly staff on hand to take your bets.

Other great perks including the easy to use Tote app and the excitement of betting in an cumulative pool – could Tote horse racing be for you? We think it could be.

Other Horse Racing Betting Brands

Here is a full list of other horse racing betting brands which may also be suitable for both UK and Irish horse racing as well as Tote bets, so check them out as well:

The online betting sites for horse racing above, all offer a variety of welcome bonuses and sign-up offers to new players.

Subjects covered – uk tote group, first racing pool bet, jockey club racecourses nationwide, cumulative pool betting.

We strongly advocate responsible gambling.