TOTE CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS - PRESSING AHEAD WITH ANOTHER YEAR OF PROGRESS AT THE TOTE

Wednesday 22nd November 2023

As we near the end of another busy year for the UK Tote Group, I’m delighted to be able to reflect on what we’ve achieved over the last four years as custodians of this horseracing institution.

Last month we published our Year Four Review which shows the significant progress we’ve made in 2023. The UK and Irish pool is up by more than 7% year-on-year, and our customer base has increased by almost 25%. This growth reflects the positive efforts our team is making every week to improve the value and experience we offer to our customers.

This year was also the biggest-ever World Pool season, with 19 World Pool events on British and Irish race meetings in 2023. World Pool continues to deliver an increasingly important revenue stream to British racing and is a central part of ensuring a bright future for the sport. That’s why we were pleased to announce in June a significant new five-year agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, meaning the UK Tote is the exclusive partner for World Pool in the UK and Ireland.

The Year Four Review contains a lot of interesting information and statistics showing how the Tote is changing. You can read the Review in full here, or watch this short video featuring members of our team highlighting our work in 2023: https://tinyurl.com/4hwej4v5.

I’m incredibly proud of my Tote colleagues for their professionalism and hard work this year. I was delighted to meet up with some of them and many of the organisation’s external partners earlier this month at the Breeders Cup in Pasadena. This was also the location for the second World Tote Association (WoTA) Forum which attracted more than 120 participants from around the globe. Presentations and discussion focused on the key issues affecting horserace pool betting, including how commingling between operators is progressing and the many innovations WoTA members are bringing to pool betting.

There is a real energy behind further cooperation and looking at what pool betting operators can do together to grow and further increase organisations’ support for horseracing. Central to this is commingling pools between members which is a priority for WoTA and builds upon the success of World Pool.

Looking ahead to next year, our focus will remain on providing fans with the best racing experience and helping to safeguard the financial future of the sport. We will continue to press ahead with all the work that we’re doing and we anticipate another exciting year of growth at the Tote.

I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress.

For more information about the UK Tote Group please visit www.uktotegroup.com and follow us @UKToteGroup and @ToteRacing.