The Tote (aka Tote Ireland) is an online parimutuel betting site owned and operated by Horse Racing Ireland. The site is licensed for UK players by the Gambling Commission and covers all Irish and UK horseracing. The Tote operates as the former British tote did before it was privatized. In late 2015 the pool betting site added Colossus Bets across all web and mobile platforms, giving punters a chance to share in huge sports pool jackpots. Several big syndicated jackpots were offered in 2018 for the World Cup.

All profits go to the horse racing industry. All bets are pooled (parimutuel) a small fee is deducted for administration and each winning bet shares in the prize pool, much like a lottery. The types of bets offered are Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta, Quadpot, Placepot, Jackpot, Scoop6, and Swinger. In all cases, the dividends are based on the size of the pool and the number of bets and the price changes until the last bet is placed and the race begins. The odds are comparable to bookmakers' starting price odds and some of the more difficult bets can pay into the 7-figures.

The website is very rudimentary and easy to navigate. The most important thing to learn or know is the different kinds of bets. Mobile betting is as easy as betting from home or the office. Unfortunately, even though online race betting is legal at the federal level in the U.S., bettors in America are not allowed to register or wager.

One of the best features of tote betting is that there is no bookie to close your account because you are winning!

A brief primer on pool betting is thus: Rather than betting against a bookie with board price, players bet against others in the total pool. The pool is divided by the stake to determine the winning payouts. If you bet €8 on a horse to win and there is €12,000 in the pool with €160 of that staked on the winner, your payout is the pool (12k) divided by bets on the winner (160) x your stake (8) = €600.

Types of Tote Bets

Tote Win: This is simply betting on any horse in the field to come in first place. Bettors can place the entry's number, race course and number, or simply "F" to choose the favorite.

Tote Place: If there are at least 5 horses in the field you can bet on a horse to Place. This means you expect the horse to come in 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th. You won't find this as a stand-alone bet at most bookies, but you will find it at The Tote!

Each Way: This bet will cover first and any place. Your wager will be split evenly between Win and Place and the dividends will be based on the above formula in each pool.

Tote Exactas: These are much like taking a bookies straight forecast bet where you predict which horses will come in first and second in the correct order.

Single: - Pick the first and second place in the correct order.
Combination: Choose first and second in any order. In practice, this is really two single bets. The first on horses a, b and the second on horses b, a. Punters can also add more horses which creates more potential win orders that pay a dividend.
Banker: Choose the first place horse and any number of additional horses.

Tote Trifecta: Pick the first three horses in the proper order. This is only offered on races with more than 8 runners. There are three Trifectas which work much as Exactas do.

Tote Quadpot: This bet is offered on UK races, but only on one race each meet. It will always be the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th race. Choose the favorite or any runner. The minimum bet is quite low.

Tote Placepot: This is the same as the quadpot but it covers all of the first six races on a card. The rules can become quite complicated for this bet, but in a nutshell, if you have a winning bet in the first race the dividend will become your stake in the second race, etc.

Tote Jackpot: This bet pays very well or not at all as punters need to pick the winner in the first six races at any daily meet selected by The Tote. The reason the pot gets so fat is that the pool rolls over to the next if nobody wins.

Tote Scoop6: Try your luck against a field of twenty 2 and 3-year-olds with no track records with jackpots rolling over and you've found the closest thing to a lottery in horse racing and prizes to match!

Tote Swinger: Pick three horses to take 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. The three chances to win are 1/2, 1/3, 2/3 in any order.

Bonuses and Promotions

Look for regular money back specials and promotions. Examples might include cash back offers on your first bet, an average value of all bets after your tenth bet, and cumulative bonuses for your first four weeks of betting. All bonuses are credited the next day.

Pitfalls

Dividends can be higher or lower than some bookie's board price.

The Final Word

With bets as low as 10p online or at syndicates offices, the excitement of racing is available to nearly everyone. UK and Irish pool betting covers horses, greyhounds, and some football events. Races from around the world. As all winnings come from players betting against each other, the Tote will never close your account or restrict your bets for winning too much. With bettors from all around the world, jackpots can go sky high. Watch live streaming horse races.

External Links
Official Youtube
Official Twitter
Colossus Bets Announcement