The tote, was established by Act of Parliament in 1928 and is now the fourth largest bookmaker in the UK. Its original purpose was to offer on-course pool betting on horseracing as an alternative to starting price betting with bookmakers and to distribute its profits for “purposes conducive to the improvement of breeds of horses or the sport of horseracing”.   The first major race meetings with tote betting were the flat race meetings at Newmarket (July Course) and Carlisle on 2nd July 1929.

Tote Investors Ltd (TIL) was set up in 1930 as an independent company by a ‘group of gentlemen interested in the welfare of racing’ to channel off-course and credit bets into the tote pools. The tote bought TIL in 1962. Today totesport has 190,000 registered clients and accepts credit and debit bets for SP and pool betting on horseracing and most sporting events via the telephone call centre and the internet.

The Betting Levy Act 1961 forced significant changes on the racing and bookmaking industries. A horserace betting levy on bookmakers meant that the tote was no longer the only source of betting revenue for racing. The spending powers of the tote were transferred to the Levy Board.   Most importantly bookmakers were permitted to open betting shops.  However, the tote was restricted to opening shops offering bets on horseracing at tote odds. These restrictions were lifted in 1972, from then on the tote could operate as a bookmaker as well as offering pool betting on horses. Today the tote has over 450 retail shops offering cash betting on horseracing and a wide range of sporting and non-sporting events.

Tote Direct was set up in 1992 to channel tote bets from high street betting shops into tote pools. Now tote betting terminals are in more than 4500 shops across the UK, including all totesport, Ladbrokes and Coral shops.  The tote internet betting operation, totebetXpress, was launched in 2002.

In 2001 responsibility for appointments to the tote Board moved from the Home Secretary to the Department of Culture Media and Sport. The Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, now has responsibility for the appointment of the Chairman and appointments to the Board of the tote.

Key Dates

1928 Racecourse Betting Act passed (August) Racecourse Betting Control Board (the tote) set up to handle on-course cash pool bets on horse racing
1929 First meeting operated under Licence: West Street Harriers (13th March)
First meeting operated with Board's staff: Old Surrey & Burstow (27th April)
First major meetings: Newmarket (July Course) and Carlisle (2nd 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 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
1962 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



History of tote pool bets

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)
1947 Straight forecast pool re-introduced (3 to 5 runner races) (Discontinued 1977)
1955 Dual Forecast (Discontinued 2000)
1965 Quadpool (Discontinued 1966)
1966 Jackpot (June: Royal Ascot)
1970 Tricast (Discontinued 1973)
1977 Placepot (November: Newbury)
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)

2004 Official unveiling of totesport/totepool

Tote investors sponsorship  at Doncaster in 1950's.