Totesport Review

www.totesport.com is one the best betting sites for UK punters to use. This is the online division of the Tote which offers pool wagering on horses at Britain’s 60 racecourses and at more than 7,000 betting shops. They also operate 512 betting shops in the UK under the same branding. Online you can bet totepool, racing odds, sports odds, online casino and online bingo. A special offer when you use this link, new players will receive a stake £5 receive a £10 free bet bonus offer.

One thing we love about Totesport is they are UK licensed. In case you’re not aware, the major UK bookmakers William Hill and Ladbrokes avoid tax by operating their internet divisions from Gibraltar using a GRA license. This means their online profits do not directly benefit the local economy, nor do they support UK sports and horse racing. Totesport on the other hand is licensed by the Gambling Commission, employs over 4,000 locally, and 10% of their profits go the benefit of UK racing.

Betting Sports at ToteSport

Totesport offers betting odds on all major sports. English football is most popular, but they also support most European football leagues, as well as football from the Americas and Asia. Other sports that can be wagered here include cricket, rugby, golf, tennis, darts, snookers, European basketball, F1 racing and of course US sports such as NLF football, MLB baseball, NHL hockey and NBA betting. This names only some of the many sports covered.

From their menu that’s labelled betinplay you’ll find a plethora of matches available for live in-play betting. The markets per match are nothing short of amazing. For example while a football match is in-play you can wager either full game or first half on 1×2 (Home/Draw/Away), multiple under/over total goal markets, and correct score markets. They also offer in-play football markets draw no bet, multi-way total goal markets, handicap betting, winning margins, next goal markets, which half will have the most goals, over/under on when specific goals will be scored, to win to nil, odd or even, will both teams score, clean sheets and much more. For tennis, cricket, rugby, snooker, baseball, basketball and most other sports they have similar in-play markets.

They also offer accumulator odds, small Asian markets, and specials. The specials include betting on SPOTY, X Factor and presidential elections from around the world. Remember, when you use the link at the top of this page you’re welcomed with a stake £5 get £10 free offer. And again, this is a trust worthy betting site licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

Tote Pool Betting

Horse Racing Pools is a main selling feature of Totesport. Their company was founded by the UK government in 1928 under the direction of Sir Winston Churchill. The reason was to give the government control of horse racing in order to ensure betting profits helped support UK races, minors were kept away from gambling, and the sport was free from organised crime and scandal. Their staple has long been racing pools and they are the only company in the UK that can legally offer this form of betting. It is available at 60 racecourses, 7,000 UK betting shops, and online at Totesport.com.

So what’s exactly is totepool? To explain briefly, it’s a lottery that is based on horse racing picks. For each race/track, all money staked cumulatively goes into a pool that is shared amongst winners. This means the payout (referred to as the dividend) depends on how much total has been staked and how many people pick the winner. There are several different pools available including scoop6 where the dividend is based on a £2 stake. For the totejackpot, toteplacepot, totequadpot, totewin, toteplace, toteexacta and totetrifecta dividends are based on a £1 stake. Here you can win massive payouts. For example on the day I’m writing this, totejackpot at Leicester paid a £23,391 dividend per £1 stake. This was won for 4 units. You can learn much more about how this works on their website.

Fixed Odds Racing

Totesport also offers a fixed odds racebook. Here you’ll find all the popular wagering options for UK racecourses including Aintree, Ascot, Newmarket, Goodwood and dozens more, as well as select number of US tracks. For all the major flat races and jump races on the annual calendar you can find futures and propositions. They of course also have vast markets for the major races including Grand National, Guineas, Epsom Derby, Saint Leger Stakes, 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks.

Their website is loaded with race betting promotions. For example their Lucky 15/31/63 enhancement promotion pays TREBLE the odds for one winner in a Lucky15, FOUR TIMES the odds for one winner in a Lucky31 and FIVE TIMES the odds for one winner in a Lucky63! Also for several races each day they have best odds guarantees. If you take a price and the SP comes bigger they pay the bigger odds. There’s also enhanced odds promotions daily and free Racing Post content available to help with handicapping the races.

ToteSport is Well Regulated

From the time of their inception in 1928, and until just recently, Totesport was owned by the UK government. When the government decided to privatise in 2011 they took bids for its sale. This attracted 18 bidders, with Betfred bidding just higher than Coral to secure the purchase. The sale was finalised on 13 July 2011 with Betfred paying £265-million for ownership.

Even though now private, the Tote remains very close to the UK government. Included in the sale was the provision the Tote would remain the only legal provider of racing pools in the UK for a number of years. In exchange, 10% of Totesport’s profits are contributed to the UK racing industry
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As the largest race bookie and fourth largest betting shop franchise in the UK, this is one of the most reputable and regulated betting sites available for UK punters. They are registered with The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). This is a recognised third-party impartial adjudicator of disputes between bookies and their customers. This means if you ever have a dispute with Totesport you can file with IBAS and get a fair binding adjudication. As mentioned earlier in this article, Totesport is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Between this licence, their IBAS status, close ties to the government, and massive size, players should feel very confident using this betting site.