Horse racing betting enthusiasts all around the world are sure to have heard of the Tote. They were originally established in the 1920s as a state-owned body, which accepted bets on horse racing. Since then, they have been owned by various companies and have recently launched their own sports betting site. 

Tote betting is a pool-based system. This means all money staked on a race or market goes into a pool, with the return (known as a dividend) based on the volume of stakes on the winning selection. This is different to fixed odds betting, where a bettor places their bet at the advertised odds. The dividend is not confirmed until after the race.

While they may be known as a UK-focused brand, in 2021 Tote launched its exciting World Pool, which is available on their fairly recently launched betting site and horse racing betting app. World Pool exists alongside other popular Tote bets, like Placepots, Jackpots and more. 

What is World Pool?

World Pool is a new initiative from the Tote. While the company accept bets from the UK and Ireland on all domestic horse racing, they have pinpointed some big horse racing meetings that will accept bets from all around the world. 

By opening up Tote markets globally, the amount of money staked on the race is expected to be much, much greater. Bettors from the likes of the United States and Australia will be able to bet into Tote pools, which is something not generally available to them. 

World Pool is seen as a way to open horse racing up to a much wider audience, boost the profile of the sport and contribute to the sustainable funding of racing. In terms of the bets themselves, they are settled in the same way – all money staked on the race goes into the pool and a dividend for winning bets will be declared once the result is known. 

What World Pool Bets Can be Placed?

Many of the most popular Tote bets can be placed on World Pool. The full list of accepted World Pool bets is – Win (pick the winner of the race), Place (pick a horse to be placed, be it two, three or four places, depending on the race), exacta (pick the first two horses in exact order), trifecta (picks the first three horses in exact order), quinella (pick the first two horses in any order) and swinger (pick two horses to finish anywhere in the first three). 

One multi-leg bet will also be accepted on World Pool, which is a treble. This involves the bettor picking the winner of three different race. 

What Other Bets do Tote Accept?

Tote accept a whole host of horse racing pool bets. In addition to the World Pool bets mentioned above, they offer a wide range of other bets to UK and Irish bettors on domestic horse racing. 

Placepots are arguably the most popular Tote bet. This involves picking a horse to place in each of the first six races of a particular meeting. Depending on the results, the dividend can be huge. Of course, if a lot of favorites place, many bettors will have them picked and the return will be smaller. 

Similar to Placepots, Tote Jackpots involve the first six races at a given meeting. Instead of picking a horse to place, a bettor must predict which horse will win. Obviously, given the more difficult nature of jackpot bets, the dividend is usually much more than the placepot one. Jackpots have a minimum prize pool of £10,000 and can roll over to be much greater amounts if nobody manages to win it.

Many bettors choose to pick multiple horses in some races, giving them a better chance of going through the card and having a winning bet. This does increase the total stake, though, which is something to keep in mind.

Advantages of the Tote World Pool

There are many advantages to placing a World Pool bet as opposed to a fixed odds bet at horse racing betting sites. The first of those is price. 

With the Tote Guarantee, if the win dividend is less than the horse’s starting price, your bet will be settled at the starting price. If the win dividend is greater, that is what you will get. For some context, World Pool bets placed in 2021 would have yielded a return of 15% more than bets at the SP. 

Speaking of prices, World Pool might result in some hugely different returns. For example, a lesser-known international horse might only have a small amount of the pool staked on it. Therefore, if it wins, the return could be massive compared to its starting price. 

The amount of money bet into the World Pool should ensure plenty of liquidity in the market. As a result, large bets shouldn’t have a huge impact on the horse’s price. 

For bettors who can access the Tote app (only available in certain regions), the Tote+ offer will apply to World Pool bets. This adds 10% on to all winning Tote bets placed via the app on selected pools.

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When Can World Pool Bets Be Placed?

World Pool bets have been available on a number of top horse racing events in 2022 already, including Super Saturday at Meydan in March, 2000 Guineas Day in April and Cazoo Derby and Oaks days at Epsom in June. 

The next available meeting is King George Day at Ascot on July 23. Beyond that, World Pool will be available on the first three days of the Goodwood festival and York’s Ebor festival, as well as Leopardstown’s Champions Day in September and British Champions day in October. 

How do I Place a World Pool Bet?

The quickest and best way to place a World Pool bet is by opening a Tote account via Bookmakers. This will give you the opportunity to claim any betting welcome offers at the time of registration if they are available in your region, which can be used on any of the horse racing pools bets on their site. 

Placing a World Pool bet, or any Tote bet, is similar to placing a bet at any other sports betting app. Make your selection, add it to the bet slip, enter your stake and place your bet.

What isn’t similar, though, is the innovative, forward-thinking nature of the World Pool. It’s a fantastic addition to the horse racing calendar, and one that is sure to serve horse racing as a sport very well.