The UK Tote Group has announced a series of new innovations for players ahead of the return of British horse racing next week.Racing will resume from 1 June after more than two months of suspension due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, with the first races set to take place at Newcastle.
The Tote will reopen its Tote Ten to Follow competition, with fans paying £5 to select their horses and stables to be in with a chance of winning 70% of the total pool. Monthly prizes will also be on offer from June to September, while a free-to-play contest has a top prize of £5,000.
In addition, the Tote has added a number of new features, including the ability for players to amend their stables any time until the first day of Royal Ascot on 16 June. A ‘transfer window’ will also take place in August, but may be subject to change given potential amendments to the fixture list.
Players can now also create silks for their stables, as well as generate private leagues to compete against their friends, family and colleagues. The Tote will also allow players to create multiple stables in either the ‘Simple’ or ‘Pro’ modes
“Like so many people, all of us at the Tote are excited to see the return of British racing,” UK Tote Group chief executive Alex Frost said. “Despite the challenging environment it will bring great cheer when the starting stalls open for the first time at Newcastle Racecourse on Monday and we can all enjoy racing on these shores for the first time since March.”
Meanwhile, the Tote will be offering its new Pool Guarantee Service (PGS) for the resumption of British racing. The Tote said that as racing will be going ahead behind closed doors, and that retail betting shops will remain closed, this will impact pool volumes.
As such, PGS will see the Tote replace some of this liquidity with a similar spread of activity, which it said will mean customers can bet into robust pools where prices will be more stable.
All customers betting on UK Tote-hosted pools will benefit from PGS, with the service to be implemented on all pools on British racing, as well as Tote-hosted pools on racing in Hong Kong and France, including Placepots.
The Tote added that PGS will operate alongside Tote Guarantee, which ensures the Tote will always match the industry starting price, or exceed it if the pool price is greater, on all win bets.
“We are clearly in unprecedented times and this calls for all of us to look at new and innovative ways to enhance the enjoyment of watching and betting on racing,” Frost added.
“The Tote stands shoulder to shoulder with everyone in the sport and we are playing our part in growing the appeal of pool betting and the role of the Tote in supporting the sport.”
