Tote
The tote is pool betting: all stakes on a bet type go into one pool, the operator takes a cut, and the rest is shared among winning tickets. Your payout, called a dividend, is only known after the race.
By Mark SmithChecked How the tote works
Tote betting, also called pari-mutuel betting, puts you against other punters rather than the bookmaker. In South Africa, the main tote pools on local racing are run through the TAB. Every bet type has its own pool:
- Win and Place: pick a horse to win, or to finish in the places.
- Exacta and Trifecta: pick the first two or first three in order.
- Quartet: the first four in order.
- Place Accumulator (PA): pick a placed horse in each of several races.
- Jackpot and Pick 6: pick the winners of a sequence of races.
Pros and cons
The tote can pay more than fixed odds on an unfancied winner, and big pools like the Pick 6 offer large prizes for small stakes. But you don’t know your return when you bet, and the deduction comes out of every pool, so the house always takes its share.
Related terms
Fixed-odds bookmakers offer each-way bets and starting price settlements instead. Some sites offer both tote and fixed odds on the same race. Compare racing sites on our horse racing betting page.
Frequently asked questions
How is a tote dividend worked out?
All stakes for a bet type (for example the Win pool) are added up, the operator takes its deduction, and the rest is divided by the number of winning units. The dividend is usually shown per R1 or per unit staked.
What is the difference between tote and fixed odds?
With fixed odds you lock in your price when you bet. With the tote, the price depends on how much everyone else bets, so it changes until the race starts and is final only after the result.
What are the Pick 6 and Jackpot in South African racing?
They are popular tote pools where you must pick the winners of several consecutive races (six for the Pick 6). The pools can carry over when nobody wins, which grows the prize.
Related terms
Mark has been writing about online gaming since 2007, covering everything from sportsbooks to casino and slot reviews, offering insights for players of all levels.