Tote Bookmaker Review

The Tote is one of the oldest betting companies in the United Kingdom. It started its operations way back in 1928 and was founded by Sir Winston Churchill. The bookmaker is popular among bettors who love placing bets on horse racing. In fact, Tote is considered to be one of the go-to bookmakers in the UK for horse race betting.

Recently the bookmaker’s website has undergone some changes. Earlier, it was being operated under the domain “ToteSport.com” for many years. Now, it has come up with a new website “tote.co.uk”. The revamped website is stylish, simple, and user-friendly.

Tote works differently when compared to other betting companies. Standard bookmakers offer their bettors fixed odds for bets. On the other hand, Tote doesn’t offer fixed odds betting, instead, it offers pool betting. Earlier “ToteSport.com” used to offer both fixed odds betting and pool betting but after the revamp of the website, “tote.co.uk” has stopped offering fixed odds betting.

In fixed odds betting, you know beforehand, how much profit you will earn if your bet wins. However, when using Tote, you will get to know your profit only after your race is over. This is because the platform offers pool betting. In such bettings, the stakes of all those bettors who have placed a bet on a race are collected in a pool first. After the race is over, the profits are shared among the bettors who have backed the winner.

If you are a horse racing punter and looking for pool betting, Tote is the bookmaker that you should try. This is because it is one of the oldest and best bookmakers for pool betting on horse racing.

Detailed Review

Launched in the year 1928, Tote is one of the oldest pool betting companies in the UK. From the year 1928 to 2011, it was operated by the government. In the year 2011, the government sold the company to Betfred. Later, in the year 2018, the company was acquired by Tote Group. It is a group that mainly consists of racehorse owners and breeders from across the world.

When compared to other bookmakers, Tote doesn’t have a wide range of sports to bet on. Tote focuses on horse race and football betting. You will not find popular sports like baseball, basketball, and tennis on their website.

Tote offers one of the best betting markets for horse racing. It gives two types of betting options. One is the Single Leg Bets and the other is Multi Leg Bets. In single leg bets, you can find Exacta, Trifecta, Swinger wagers. On the other hand, multi-leg bets are the most preferred bets among punters. It includes bets like Placepot, Quadpot, and Jackpot.

The website is simple and user-friendly. Without physical being present at the racecourse, from the comfort of your home, you can use Tote’s website and place bets on horse races. Not only does the bookmaker have a great website but also offers decent sign-up welcome bonuses and other promotions to UK bettors. In addition to this, the platform also offers free live-streaming of all horse races.

The live-streaming offered by the platform is of good quality and only available to those people who have registered on the website and have deposited a certain amount in their accounts. Registered customers can watch the live stream of multiple horse races across the United Kingdom. 

Overall, the Tote platform is great for bettors who are looking for pool betting on horse racing. The website has a simple layout and loads pretty fast. Besides having a great desktop website, the website is also optimized for mobile devices. In addition to this, Tote also has a dedicated mobile app.

Licensing And Safety

The Tote website is regulated and licensed by the Gambling Commission of the UK. The commission regulates the gambling industry in the UK. It ensures that the gambling companies carry out betting in a fair manner and also ensures gambling is not done by people who are under the age of 18. Companies that violate these regulations are penalized and even their licenses are revoked. 

As far as the security of the website is concerned, the Tote website is encrypted with Security Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Card details and personal details are safely protected from intruders. The platform offers secure payment methods for deposits and withdrawals.

Sign Up Procedure

The Tote registration process is simple. It takes only a few minutes to complete the registration process. New customers need to go to the official website of Tote. On the website, at the top-right corner of the homepage, there is a “Join” button. Customers can click on the button and start the registration process. Or else, the customer can also click on the “Menu” present in the top-left corner of the homepage and then click on the “Join” button.

After clicking the button, the customers are redirected to a new webpage where necessary information has to be given. Customers have to give their personal details like first name, last name, date of birth, address, phone number, and then create a password. Once this is done, the new customers should make an initial deposit. An email is sent to the customer’s email address for verification. Once all this is done, the customers can log in and start betting on the platform.

Deposit Options

When compared to other bookmakers' websites, Tote has limited deposit payment options to offer. Other bookmakers also offer e-wallets for deposits but Tote doesn’t have this option. It doesn’t accept deposits through e-wallets sites such as Skrill or Neteller. Currently, Tote only offers two payment options for deposits. One is Visa and the other is the Mastercard debit card.

To make a deposit, all you need to do is log into the account and go to the “Add funds” section and click on the “Add funds” button. Once you do this, you can make the deposit through Visa or Mastercard. For the initial deposit, the platform may ask for identification documents. You can submit your driver’s license or government id for verification.

For depositing, there is no processing fee. The funds are also deposited instantly and the minimum deposit that you can make is 5 pounds.

Withdrawal Speed / Options

Just like for deposits, Tote only accepts two payment options. One is the Visa and the other is the Mastercard debit card. To withdraw the amount, you need to log in and click on the “View account” button. There you will have the withdrawal option. Enter the amount that you want to withdraw and click the “Withdraw” button. The amount will be deposited into your account. For withdrawal, it may take anywhere between 3 and 5 working days.

New Customer Bonus

For all the new customers, Tote offers an exciting welcome bonus - “25 pounds Matched First Bet”. To claim the offer, the customers need to open an account and make an initial deposit of 10 pounds. After registering, the customer has to place a minimum bet of 10 pounds on racing pools. Whether the customer wins or losses the bet, Tote will credit the customer with up to 25 pounds in free bets.

The offer is valid only for new customers who are 18+. Customers cannot withdraw or exchange the Tote credit. However, any winnings from bets placed with Tote credits can be withdrawn. The credit expires after 7 days from the date the credit has been transferred to the account. Detailed information about the offer is available in the Terms and Conditions.

Existing Customer Bonus

Tote offers an exciting bonus offer for existing customers. The platform offers a bonus called “Tote Guarantee”. This concept is similar to the best odds guaranteed concept which is offered by bookmakers who deal with fixed odds betting. Bettors who are familiar with this concept will find the “Tote Guarantee” interesting. The promotion is available across all UK horse races and it applies to only Totewin bets.

Tote Guarantee means if you win a Totewin bet, you will be paid at a higher price than the Starting Price (SP). This happens especially when you bet on a horse in a pool, that is only backed by a few others in the pool.

The offer is applicable only to Tote.co.uk customers and the customers should be above 18 years of age. The offer is available only for Win pools and not on Place pools. Gambling below the age of 18 is a criminal offense and if someone does it, Tote has the right to cancel any bet placed by that person. It also has the right to request age verification documents from customers at any time. Detailed information about the promotion is available in the Terms and Conditions on the “Tote Guarantee” promotion page.

Quality Of Odds

Tote’s odds are among the best in the betting industry. It offers the best competitive odds for horse racing. The odds offered on horse racing are more competitive than the odds offered by its competitors like bet365 and Sky Bet. This is because Tote solely focuses on horse racing.

Bet In-Play Options

If you are looking for live betting, then unfortunately Tote doesn’t offer any live betting. This is because the platform works on the pools method of betting. There is no option for bet in-play on Tote. If live betting is something that you desire, then you need to head off somewhere else.

Cash Out Feature

Cash-out is a great feature to have for punters. Suppose a punter chooses to bet on a football team and the team doesn’t perform to the expected level, then some bookmakers offer the punter the option of cashing out. The punter can partially or fully cash out from the bet. Unfortunately, there is no Cash Out Feature available on the Tote website.

Sportsbook Betting Products

Diversity Of Sports Markets

The Tote platform is totally dedicated to horse racing and football betting. Unfortunately, the platform doesn’t cater to a wide range of sports. Popular sports like baseball, basketball, tennis, and others do not find a place on the Tote platform. That said, when speaking of horse racing, Tote provides impressive betting markets. The platform offers a wide range of betting markets on horse racing with competitive odds. It also provides informed analysis and statistics pertaining to the betting market.

Non-Sports Betting Products

Casino / Bingo Offers

Tote platform has a great collection of casino games. It is estimated that the platform has over 70 casino games. Typically casino games are categorized into table games, slot games, live dealer games, and specialty games. Tote platforms offer most of these games. In table games, games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and others are available. There are also many slot games available on the platform. In specialty games, you can play games like Bingo on the platform. Overall, Tote’s website has an impressively wide range of Casino games to play.

Special Promotions And Enhanced Odds

Tote offers exciting promotions on its website to punters. To access these promotions, you can go to the official website of Tote and in the “Promotions” section you will find a number of exciting offers.

Apart from the welcome bonus for new customers, there are many other offers that are announced regularly on the platform. One such promotional offer is the “Recharge Boost”. The promotion offers customers to earn a free bet of up to 20 pounds on Monday and to earn this reward the customer has to place six bets the week before. These kinds of promotions run for a limited period and then new promotions are announced. To understand in detail about the promotions, visiting the Terms and Conditions of the promotions is a must.

As far as enhanced odds are concerned, the Tote doesn’t provide any information about these odds. That said, every year, the Cheltenham racing festival takes place and many bookmakers offer enhanced odds on certain horses during the festival. Although Cheltenham betting is available on the Tote website, the platform may or may not offer enhanced odds during the festival.

Usability Of The Site / Mobile Apps

The first thing that you will notice when you visit the website is its simple layout. All the sections on the website are well laid out. As you visit the website, on the homepage, you will find the most important sections which are “Horse racing” and “Football”.

On the top-left corner of the page, you will find a “Menu” option in which you can find a list of other important sections of the website. Finally, on the top-right corner of the page, you will find the “Register” option, and the center of the website is dedicated to promotions. All the important sections are covered on the homepage of the website. Besides this, the website loads pretty fast and also uses a striking combination of red and white colors making it visually appealing.

If you are looking for a mobile-friendly website, the Tote website is also optimized for mobile devices. All the features that are available on the Tote desktop website are also available on the mobile website. In addition to this, Tote also has a dedicated mobile app.

The Tote app is available on both Android and IoS devices. If you are using an IoS device, then you can download the app from the Apple Play Store. If you are using an Android device, then you can download the app from Google Play Store.

The mobile app is as impressive as the desktop website. The app has all the features that the desktop version of the website offers. In addition to this, the mobile app has a virtual assistant which assists punters with useful information about the betting markets and race meetings.

When you download the app, you will be able to access a wide range of horse racing and football betting markets in the UK and from across the world. The app is user-friendly and has a simple interface that makes it easy for you to place bets, analyze the results, and get information on upcoming events. Besides this, the app has useful informational guides that provide detailed information on different bets. These guides are useful especially for customers who are new to the betting world.

Customer Service

The platform has decent customer service. There are many ways to connect to the customer support staff. You can reach them through live chat, email, telephone, FAQs.

One of the most popular methods among Tote’s customers is live chat. Through live chat, you can expect to get a response at the earliest. However, the live chat is not available 24/7. The support staff is available to take queries from 8 AM to midnight UK time, 7 days a week.

On the other hand, if you prefer to interact with customer staff through email, then you can also do that. You can find the email address on Tote’s website. The staff will reply to your email within two days after sending the mail.

If you want to contact the support staff through telephone, Tote also provides this option. When you visit Tote’s website, go to the “Contact Us” option available in the menu list on the homepage. On the contact us page, you will find a few numbers dedicated to customer service.

You can also use the FAQs section on the website to get answers to a few general questions. The section has quite a few important questions regarding the Tote betting platform. The section provides answers to questions like “How can I add funds to my account?”, “How can I withdraw my money?”, and more.

Apart from this, you can also send a post to the company’s support staff. This form of communication method is outdated but still, if you like to send a post, you can do it. When you visit the website, on the Contact Us page, the postal address of the company is given. Use the address to send the post to the customer support staff.

Countries That Accept Tote And Countries That Don’t

Some countries that accept Tote bookmaker are:

·      The United Kingdom

·      Ireland

Countries, where Tote is restricted:

·      India

Conclusion

Tote bookmaker is one of the best betting platforms available in the UK, particularly for horse racing. Though the platform doesn’t offer a wide range of sports, it provides impressive betting markets in horse racing and football. The platform provides exciting promotions for existing customers and also has an impressive welcome bonus offer for new customers.

The website is user-friendly and has a simple layout. Different shades of colors are used in the design of the website which makes the website eye-catching. The Tote bookmaker also gives its customers a mobile-friendly website to bet on. In fact, Tote also has a dedicated mobile app. The app works both on IoS and Android devices.

However, Tote doesn’t include a good number of payment methods. Visa and Mastercard are the only methods the customers can use to deposit or withdraw money. E-wallets like Skrill, and Neteller are not available on the platform.

Overall, the Tote platform is worth a try, especially for punters who are horse racing enthusiasts.

Tote Pros

·      Tote provides live-streaming of races for customers.

·      Has excellent horse racing betting markets.

·      The website and mobile app are user-friendly.

Tote Cons

·      Payment methods are limited.

·      Limited sports to bet on.

·      Doesn’t offer in-play betting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Tote licensed in the UK?

Yes, Tote bookmaker is licensed in the United Kingdom. It is licensed by UK Gambling Commission.

Is the Tote platform secure?

Tote website is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). That means card details and personal information entered on the website are protected from intruders.

Who owns Tote?

The Tote company is owned by the Tote Group. A group consisting of horse race owners and breeders from across the world.

Does Tote provide customer support?

Yes, Tote has a dedicated customer support staff. Customers can reach out to them via email, live chat, and telephone.

Does Tote have a mobile app?

Yes, it does.